Talk about surprises among the Top 10—the only one bigger than Richard Gasquet may be his countryman Tsonga. As 2015 began, it seemed that the oft-injured Frenchman was in permanent decline. His ranking had drifted from No. 6 in 2011 to No. 8 in 2012 to No. 10 in 2013 to No. 12 in 2014. He began last season by missing the first two months due to an arm injury, and he turned 30 in April. But that’s when Tsonga started to turn things around. He went on to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros, the quarterfinals at the US Open and the final at the Shanghai Masters.
What should we believe, three years of results that show his ranking dropping, or one eight-month period in 2015 when it jumped up again? Either way, his seemingly permanent decline has been halted. And by year’s end, Tsonga had begun to earn a new reputation as a big-stage player. That could bode well in 2016. Tsonga is one of the few players that owns at least three wins over each of the Big 4, and he’s beaten them at major tournaments before.
Tsonga is probably too physically fragile and mentally volatile to put together an extended run of success, and you would think that the aging process would put a damper on his high-flying game sooner rather than later. But at a Grand Slam tournament, in front of a packed house, over three out of five sets, inspiration can still strike this dangerous player.
“If he stays healthy” is the obligatory preface to any prediction involving Tsonga. But let’s say he does: Now that Rafael Nadal is no longer a lock to win the French Open, Tsonga may have the opening he needs in front of his fans.
Tsonga is the most physical of players, which is one reason he’s injured so often. It’s hard to believe he’ll become less brittle in his 30s than he was in his 20s.
Tsonga has stopped the rot for the moment, and he’s still an opponent everyone would prefer to avoid.
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