Federer out as Tsonga's win pleases home crowd
It has been said before but tennis is a sport that thrives on shocks and upsets. Yesterday, Rolland Garros erupted at the sight of their very own, Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, beating one, if not the, most successful man to have ever played the game - Roger Federer.
The game ended 7-5 6-3 6-3 with Tsonga making it to his first French Open semi final and giving the home nation a chance at their first French Open grand slam victory in over thirty years. Having not made the semi finals of a major championship only five times in the last nine years, Federer fell under the pressure of the "Tsonga, Tsonga" chants that echoed around the court.
However disappointed Federer fans were with his loss and despite the press reporting on the 17 time grand slam winner as if it is the end of his career, the man himself seemed fairly relaxed as he talked in the post match press conference. Federer stated that the game is "already pretty much past now, even though it's only been like a half an hour. This is obviously a crushing loss but I look forward to other things. I have not had any holidays. Paris is a nice place. We'll see."
We could dwell on the failings of Federer but in all honesty it was the extraordinary power of Tsonga's game that led to Federer's exit from Rolland Garros. The Frenchman played some of his best tennis and was fairly rewarded with a place in the semi-final.
Federer is a true professional and will no doubt be back to his best come Wimbledon. Now it is time to see if Tsonga can capitalise on his massive win and go all the way to the final. He could be the first player to be seeded outside of the top 4 to reach a final of a Grand Slam since 2010 when Tomas Berdych got to the Wimbledon final.
It could almost be time for the big guys to move over as Tsonga, the current number 8, is very close in pushing through and reaching the top five and the height of world tennis.
Main matches today in the French Open | Roland Garros, Paris, France
Order of play from BBC Sport website
The game ended 7-5 6-3 6-3 with Tsonga making it to his first French Open semi final and giving the home nation a chance at their first French Open grand slam victory in over thirty years. Having not made the semi finals of a major championship only five times in the last nine years, Federer fell under the pressure of the "Tsonga, Tsonga" chants that echoed around the court.
However disappointed Federer fans were with his loss and despite the press reporting on the 17 time grand slam winner as if it is the end of his career, the man himself seemed fairly relaxed as he talked in the post match press conference. Federer stated that the game is "already pretty much past now, even though it's only been like a half an hour. This is obviously a crushing loss but I look forward to other things. I have not had any holidays. Paris is a nice place. We'll see."
We could dwell on the failings of Federer but in all honesty it was the extraordinary power of Tsonga's game that led to Federer's exit from Rolland Garros. The Frenchman played some of his best tennis and was fairly rewarded with a place in the semi-final.
Federer is a true professional and will no doubt be back to his best come Wimbledon. Now it is time to see if Tsonga can capitalise on his massive win and go all the way to the final. He could be the first player to be seeded outside of the top 4 to reach a final of a Grand Slam since 2010 when Tomas Berdych got to the Wimbledon final.
It could almost be time for the big guys to move over as Tsonga, the current number 8, is very close in pushing through and reaching the top five and the height of world tennis.
Main matches today in the French Open | Roland Garros, Paris, France
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Philippe Chatrier (13:00 UK start)
| Seed | Player | Player | Seed | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Jankovic (Ser) | v | Sharapova (Rus) | 2 | Women's Singles |
| 3 | Nadal (Spa) | v | Wawrinka (Swi) | 9 | Men's Singles |
Suzanne Lenglen (13:00 UK start)
| Seed | Player | Player | Seed | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Kirilenko (Rus) | v | Azarenka (Blr) | 3 | Women's Singles |
| 1 | Djokovic (Ser) | v | Haas (Ger) | 12 | Men's Singles |
Order of play from BBC Sport website
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