Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a lot of things: shot-maker, exuberant personality, Muhammad Ali doppelganger, and France's No. 1 male tennis player. He is also, if RolandGarros.com is to be believed, "chunky." That's how Tsonga is described in the French Open website's write-up on his 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 dismantling of Roger Federer in the quarterfinal round. Indeed, "There was no sign of a slowdown from the chunky Frenchman."
It seems the article sets the no-nonsense, shoot-from-the-hip tone from the start with its headline: "Tsonga Wipes Out Federer." Indeed, he practically did, aided by Fed's 34 unforced errors on the day. “He was in all areas better than me today, that's why the result was pretty clean," Federer said later. "No doubt about it. I was impressed by the way he played today. They have much more energy here, the French guys, than maybe elsewhere." An interesting thing to say to the press, for sure, and decidedly Federerian in its delivery.
Elsewhere, the same article harbors this enjoyable line: "Tsonga] had the audacity to finish off the match by purloining the Swiss maestro's service one last time." The word "purloin" is one that should be flexed in everyone's lexicon from time to time. Good on you, Kate Battersby. The writer, whose [Twitter bio reads, "White witch of the word. Apparently.", is nothing if not self-aware. Assuredly a few Tsonga fans took issue with her description of their guy.
Thought on that RG article? Say what you will about that use of "chunky," but in so many words, more tennis pieces should be written like this. And now Tsonga, his nation's first male semifinalist since Gael Monfils in 2008, will face David Ferrer in that round. In toppling the greatest player ever in men's tennis, suffice it to say, he earned it.
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