Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Encyclopedia
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a French professional tennis player. He was born in Le Mans
, to a French
mother, Évelyne, and a Congolese
father, Didier, who moved to France in the 1970s to play handball
.
Tsonga is a member of the Tennis Club de Paris
(TCP).
Tsonga rose to fame by virtue of his performance in the 2008 Australian Open
when, as an unseeded player, he reached the final, having defeated four seeded players along the way, including earning a straight sets win over the then world number two Rafael Nadal
in the semifinals. Tsonga eventually lost to the then world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
in the final in four sets, after winning the first set, the only set Djokovic dropped during the tournament.
Tsonga followed this up by winning his first ATP Masters Series
championship at the 2008 Paris Masters, thus qualifying for the 2008
Tennis Masters Cup
in Shanghai, China. His best performances in a major tournament since 2008 are semifinal appearances in the 2010 Australian Open
and 2011 Wimbledon Championships
. He also reached the final of the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals
where he lost to five-time and defending champion Roger Federer
.
of Tennis, because of his facial resemblance to the boxer.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a younger brother (Enzo) who, much like Jo, has been inspired to play sports and is part of the French basketball program (junior). He also has an elder sister (Sasha) who is less involved with sporting ventures. His football cousins are Charles N'Zogbia
who currently plays for Aston Villa F.C and Maël Lépicier
who plays for . Tsonga and Gaël Monfils
developed a good friendship from a young age, when they enjoyed mimicking all the tennis greats of the past.
As a junior, Tsonga reached a ranking of 2 and won the US Open title. He reached 3 other semi-finals of junior grand slam events. Marcos Baghdatis
was a rival of Tsonga's in the junior stage.
in the final, and also reached the semifinals of the other three Grand Slam
events.
After turning pro in 2004, Tsonga suffered a string of injuries beginning in late 2004, with a herniated disc that caused him to be out of action until March 2005. Then came two right shoulder injuries later in 2005, back and abdominal ailments from October 2005 to February 2006, and the recurrence of an abdominal injury at the end of 2006. In all, he played only eight tournaments during that time.
, where in only his second senior Grand Slam
match he met up with sixth seed Andy Roddick
for the second time in his career. What followed was the longest tiebreak in Australian Open history in the first set, which he went on to win (20–18). Tsonga forced a tiebreak in the second set as well. However, he went on to lose the match 7–6, 6–7, 3–6, 3–6. He was just 21 at the time.
In 2007, he won eighteen Challenger
titles in Tallahassee, Mexico City
, Lanzarote
, and Surbiton
. Tsonga qualified for the 2007 Queen's Club Championships
, while at the same time playing in the Surbiton Challenger, which he won. Between the two events, he won five matches during the course of two days. In the second round of the Queen's main draw, he met the sixth seed and defending champion, former world no. 1 Lleyton Hewitt
, ranked no. 16 in the ATP
rankings. Tsonga won the match after two tiebreaks 7–6, 7–6, to seal his most prominent victory since his triumph in ATP debut over former world no. 1 Carlos Moyà
, then ranked no. 6 in the world, at Beijing
in 2004. Suffering from fatigue, however, Tsonga went on to lose to promising Croatian youngster Marin Čilić
in the following round.
At Wimbledon 2007
, where he was again awarded a wildcard entry, he reached the fourth round (his first time past round one of a Grand Slam), defeating countryman Julien Benneteau
, Nicolás Lapentti
, and Feliciano López
. His run was halted by his countryman and friend, 12th seed (14th-ranked) Richard Gasquet
, in straight sets 4–6, 3–6, 4–6. He did not beat a seeded player in his progress to the fourth round (Andy Murray, the potential seed he would have faced, had dropped out). The win brought his ranking up from no. 110 to no. 74, his first time inside the top 75.
Then, at the 2007 US Open, Tsonga defeated Óscar Hernández 7–5, 6–1, 6–3, in the first round, before beating Tim Henman
7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 6–4, in what proved to be Henman's last Grand Slam match. He then lost to Rafael Nadal
6–7, 2–6, 1–6.
The 2007 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
tournament started strongly for Tsonga. He did not drop a set, beating Vincent Spadea and winning against fourth seed Richard Gasquet (who beat him at Wimbledon) 6–4, 6–4, and then defeating Olivier Rochus
. He then lost 6–1, 6–2 to compatriot Sébastien Grosjean
. He partnered Grosjean, however, in men's doubles, where the team was awarded a wildcard. In the first round, they beat Julien Benneteau
and Michaël Llodra
, who were top seeds 2–6, 6–4, before a retirement. The team defeated compatriots Fabrice Santoro
and Gilles Simon
in the quarterfinals and third seeds and also compatriots Arnaud Clément
and Nicolas Mahut
in the semifinals. Tsonga won his first doubles title, and Grosjean won his first doubles title in three years by defeating Łukasz Kubot and Lovro Zovko
in the final 6–4, 6–3.
By the end of the year, Tsonga saw his ranking rise over 150 ranking spots into the top 50. Tsonga began 2007 ranked no. 212 in the world, and in early July was in the top 100 at no. 74. In October, Tsonga climbed into the top 50 for the first time in his career, finishing the year ranked no. 43 in the world. Tsonga's year-end 169 ranking spots climb was the biggest climb of any player ranked in the top 75.
Starting his 2008 season
, Tsonga won a singles match at the 2008 Next Generation Adelaide International
. He defeated Victor Hănescu
6–3, 4–6, 7–5, in the first round, and scored straight sets victories over his next two opponents, defeating Ernests Gulbis
6–3, 6–2, and Lleyton Hewitt
(the top seed) 6–4, 6–2. However, he fell in the semifinals to Jarkko Nieminen
, the third seed 2–6, 4–6. In doubles, Tsonga and Sébastien Grosjean
lost to Florian Mayer
and Chris Haggard
6–2, 6–7, [6–10], in the first round.
Tsonga played doubles in the Sydney Medibank International with Richard Gasquet
. They scored a major upset in the finals over world no. 1 duo Bob and Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–4, [11–9].
Tsonga began his 2008 Australian Open
campaign with a tough first-round match against ninth seed Andy Murray and pulled off a shock victory 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6, setting up a clash with American qualifier Sam Warburg
in the second round. After defeating Warburg in straight sets, Tsonga advanced to the third round, where he was victorious over Guillermo García López
6–3, 6–4, 6–2. In the fourth round, Tsonga defeated Richard Gasquet
6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3.
In the quarterfinals, Tsonga played Russia's Mikhail Youzhny
, who came into the quarterfinal showdown with a nine-match winning streak. Tsonga dismantled the favored Youzhny in straight sets 7–5, 6–0, 7–6. In the semifinals, Tsonga delivered a strong performance to destroy the no. 2 seed Rafael Nadal
6–2, 6–3, 6–2, to complete back-to-back straight-set victories over heavily favored opponents. He did not face a break point until the third set, while breaking the Spaniard five times in the match. Nadal got three break points in a single game in the third set, but Tsonga able to save all three break points. The victory earned him a spot in his first career Grand Slam
final and also made him the first player since Gustavo Kuerten
at the 1997 French Open to make his ATP
finals debut at a Grand Slam tournament.
Tsonga was beaten by world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6. Tsonga was the only player in the tournament to take a set from Djokovic. Following the tournament, he saw his ranking climb to a career-high world no. 18. Tsonga then competed at the Indian Wells Masters
, where he reached the fourth round, before losing to defending champion Rafael Nadal
in three sets 7–6, 6–7, 5–7. Following the tournament, Tsonga saw his ATP ranking climb again to a new career high of world no. 12.
Tsonga had pulled out of the French Open because of a knee problem that had lasted for several months. This knee injury made him pull out of the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, France vs. the United States. He underwent successful knee surgery and participated in the 2008 US Open. He defeated Santiago Ventura
in the first round 6–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3, and 2006 quarterfinalist and former world no. 1 Carlos Moyà
in the second round 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4. He was ousted by former world no. 5 Tommy Robredo
in the third round, losing in straight sets1 6–7, 2–6, 3–6.
Tsonga entered the Thailand Open
as the second-seeded player. After receiving a bye in the first round, Tsonga defeated Lukáš Dlouhý
in a tight three-setter 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, in the second round. He then went on to have a straight-set victory over eighth seed Jürgen Melzer
6–3, 6–2, and a straight-set win over friend and compatriot Gaël Monfils
6–0, 6–3. Tsonga went on to defeat top seed and 2008 Australian Open
champion Novak Djokovic
7–6, 6–4, to claim his first career ATP title. At the Paris Masters, Tsonga overcame Djokovic once again 6–4, 1–6, 6–3, to earn a place in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Andy Roddick
5–7, 6–4, 7–6, to reach the semifinals, where he defeated James Blake
6–4, 6–3. In the final, Tsonga defeated David Nalbandian
in a competitive three-set match 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, to capture his first career ATP Masters Series
championship. His win allowed him to secure a spot in the year-end Tennis Masters Cup
.
In the round-robin portion of the Masters Cup, Tsonga lost in succession to Nikolay Davydenko
7–6, 4–6, 6–7, and Juan Martín del Potro
6–7, 6–7, preventing him from advancing to the semifinals, but defeated eventual champion Novak Djokovic
1–6, 7–5, 6–1.
tournament. Entering the tournament as the second seed, he defeated Agustín Calleri
6–2, 7–5, in the first round. He then came back from a set down to win his second-round match against Jarkko Nieminen
0–6, 7–6, 7–6. He then lost, however, to Richard Gasquet
in the quarterfinals 6–1, 4–6, 2–6. Even though he did not win the singles title, he teamed up with fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel
to win the doubles title by defeating Fernando Verdasco
and Mischa Zverev
in the final 6–4, 6–3.
He then entered the Medibank International as the no. 3 seed, defeated Simone Bolelli
6–4, 6–1, in the second round, but had to retire before his quarterfinal against Jarkko Nieminen
with a back injury.
He then entered the Australian Open
, defeating Juan Mónaco
in the first round 6–4, 6–4, 6–0. He then defeated Ivan Ljubičić
in the second round 6–7, 7–6, 7–6, 6–2, Dudi Sela
in the third 6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 6–1, and no. 9 seed James Blake
in the fourth 6–4, 6–4, 7–6. He played Spaniard Fernando Verdasco
in the quarterfinals, losing in four sets 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6. His rank went down to no. 14.
Tsonga then entered the South African Tennis Open
in Johannesburg
. He defeated Thiago Alves
6–4, 6–1, Denis Istomin
6–1, 6–4, Kristof Vliegen
6–4, 6–1 and Frederico Gil
6–3, 6–4 to reach the final, where he beat fellow Frenchman Jérémy Chardy
6–4, 7–6, to win his first title of the year and third overall, without dropping a set throughout the whole week.
After his triumph in South Africa, Tsonga then entered the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
in Rotterdam
. He defeated Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung
7–6, 7–6, in the first round. He then defeated Russian, Dmitry Tursunov
in the second round 7–6, 6–2, but he lost to world no. 1 Rafael Nadal
in the quarterfinals 4–6, 7–6, 4–6.
Tsonga then entered the Open 13
in Marseille
. He defeated Andrey Golubev
7–6, 6–2, in the first round, and then reached his sixth quarterfinal of the season by defeating Simone Bolelli
6–3, 6–2. After a three-set win over Feliciano López
6–2, 6–7, 6–4, Tsonga faced Novak Djokovic
in the semifinals, winning 6–4, 7–6 in what was his fourth consecutive win over the Serb. In his second all-French final of the month, he defeated Michaël Llodra
7–5, 7–6, to win his second tournament in three weeks.
Tsonga was then called up alongside Gilles Simon
to play the singles matches for France
against the Czech Republic
in their Davis Cup
first-round clash, while Michaël Llodra
and Richard Gasquet
paired to play the doubles.
After Simon lost the first match against Tomáš Berdych
, Tsonga defeated Radek Štěpánek
7–5, 6–2, 7–6, to level the tie. It proved insufficient, though, as Llodra and Gasquet lost the doubles to Berdych and Štěpánek, and Štěpánek then proceeded to beat Simon to give Czech Republic an insurmountable 3–1 lead. Tsonga gave France a consolation point by beating Jan Hernych
6–2, 6–7, 7–6. Although the Czech Republic won the tie 3–2, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won both of his matches and kept his winning form alive before the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000
event of the year.
Tsonga then entered the BNP Paribas Open
in Indian Wells, California
, where he received a bye for the first round. He defeated the Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili, 7–5, 6–3, in the second round, but made an early exit from the tournament, as he was defeated by the Russian Igor Andreev
, 5–7, 4–6, in the third round.
Next up for Tsonga was the Sony Ericsson Open
in Miami. He defeated Agustín Calleri
6–1, 6–1, in the second and Robert Kendrick
7–5, 6–4, in third round, after receiving a first-round bye. Then, he defeated Gilles Simon
in the fourth 6–7, 6–3, 6–2, only to lose to Novak Djokovic
in the quarterfinal 3–6, 4–6.
Tsonga was set to make his return at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, an ATP World Tour Master 1000 event (after sacrificing two ATP World Tour Tournaments beforehand). However, he lost his first singles match in the clay-court season at the hands of Richard Gasquet
6–7, 4–6. Tsonga also competed in the doubles category. He and his partner Julien Benneteau
defeated the English pair of Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins
6–4, 6–4, in the first round, but lost to the Polish pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg
and Marcin Matkowski
5–7, 3–6, in the second round.
Tsonga then entered the Madrid Masters
, the last 1000 ATP World Tour event before Roland-Garros
. He defeated Russian Marat Safin
6–4, 7–5, in the first round to record his first clay-court match win of the 2009 season and afterwards received the 2008 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award. However, Tsonga's poor clay-court form continued, as he lost to Croat Ivan Ljubičić
4–6, 5–7, in the second round.
Tsonga then represented France at Düsseldorf, Germany in the ARAG World Team Cup, along with Gilles Simon
and Jérémy Chardy
. France was drawn in the Red Group against Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Tsonga won the first tie against Sweden's Andreas Vinciguerra
4–6, 6–3, 6–4, while Gilles Simon
lost the second tie to Robin Söderling
. However, the French pair of Tsonga and Chardy lost the tie 1–2, as they were defeated by the Swedish pair of Robin Söderling and Robert Lindstedt
6–2, 3–6 [10–7]. Then, the French team was up against the home side Germany, who won their first tie against the United States 2–1. Gilles Simon
lost the first tie to German Rainer Schüttler
4–6, 4–6. Tsonga was defeated by German Philipp Kohlschreiber
7–6, 3–6, 3–6, who clinched the tie for Germany 2–0. France lost the tie to Germany 0–3, as the French pair of Simon and Chardy lost to the German pair of Nicolas Kiefer
and Mischa Zverev
0–6, 4–6. Next, it was France against the USA. Both teams were out of the competition and were playing this tie for pride. Sam Querrey
won the first tie for the USA against France's Gilles Simon
7–5, 6–3. Then, Tsonga was able to even the tie up, as he defeated American Robby Ginepri
3–6, 6–2, 6–4. However, France lost their third successive tie of the week, as the pair of Simon and Chardy lost to the American pair of Mardy Fish
and Sam Querrey
6–2, 4–6 [7–10].
Tsonga then entered the French Open, the year's second Grand Slam event. Tsonga recorded his first-ever match win at Roland Garros, after defeating Julien Benneteau
6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. He faced Argentine Juan Mónaco
in the second round and won in a four-set thriller 7–5, 2–6, 6–1, 7–6. Tsonga earned his first straight-set win at Roland Garros when he defeated Belgian Christophe Rochus
in the third round 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. However, his fine run ended at the hands of no. 5 seed Juan Martín del Potro
1–6, 7–6, 1–6, 4–6.
Tsonga then started his Wimbledon
preparations at the Gerry Weber Open
in Halle, Germany
. He defeated his French compatriot Fabrice Santoro
7–5, 6–2, in the first round. However, Tsonga suffered a straight-set defeat against German Tommy Haas
3–6, 6–7 [3–7], in the second round. However, Jo was still alive in the doubles category, where he was paired along with his French compatriot Marc Gicquel
. The French pair defeated Rogier Wassen
and Igor Zelenay
6–3, 6–2, in the first round, but lost to Andreas Beck
and Marco Chiudinelli
4–6, 6–1, [8–10] in the second round.
Tsonga then entered Wimbledon
, the third Grand Slam of the year. He survived a tough four-set thriller against Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev
6–3, 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, in the first round. After receiving a walkover from Simone Bolelli
in the second round, Tsonga was not able to get past the giant ace machine Ivo Karlović
of Croatia, losing in four set 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–7, in the third round.
Tsonga then entered the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
in Washington, D.C. He received a bye in the first round, but lost to the American John Isner
in the second round 6–4, 6–7, 6–7.
Tsonga made his debut at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. Tsonga received a bye in the first round and defeated German Rainer Schüttler
4–6, 6–3, 6–4, in the second round. In the third round, he defeated Gilles Simon
6–3, 6–3. In the quarterfinals he overcame world no. 1 Roger Federer
7–6, 1–6, 7–6, coming back from an injury timeout after winning the first set by a dive-volley, as well as being 1–5 down in the third set. He advanced to the semifinals, where he lost to Andy Murray 4–6, 6–7.
Tsonga then entered the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 World Tour event in Cincinnati, Ohio
, again a debut. He received a bye in the first round and made an early exit from the singles category, unexpectedly losing to world no. 124 Chris Guccione
of Australia 6–7, 2–6, in the second round. However, Jo was still in the doubles category, as he and Michaël Llodra
defeated Jürgen Melzer
and Radek Štěpánek
7–6, 6–4, in the first round. The French duo then defeated Bruno Soares
and Kevin Ullyett
6–0, 6–3, in the second round. However, they lost to Mahesh Bhupati and Mark Knowles
6–7, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.
Tsonga then entered the last Grand Slam of the year; the US Open. In the first round, he dismantled world no. 920 Chase Buchanan
6–0, 6–2, 6–1. He defeated Finland's Jarkko Nieminen
7–5, 6–3, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then reached his first US Open fourth round, after defeating Julien Benneteau
7–6, 6–2, 6–4, in the third round. However, he lost to 11th seed Chilean Fernando González
6–3, 3–6, 6–7, 4–6, in the fourth round.
Tsonga then represented France at the Davis Cup
playoff round against the Netherlands. The Netherlands took the first tie, as Thiemo de Bakker
upset world no. 13 Gaël Monfils
. However, Tsonga strongly levelled the tie to 1 apiece, as he defeated the Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung
7–6, 6–2, 7–6. Then, France took the crucial lead in the tie, as Michaël Llodra
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Thiemo de Bakker
and Igor Sijsling
6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. France ultimately qualified for the Davis Cup
World Group
in 2010, as Tsonga defeated Thiemo de Bakker
7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 7–6, and Jérémy Chardy
defeated Jesse Huta Galung
6–3, 6–2, wrapping up the tie 4–1.
Tsonga then entered the PTT Thailand Open, where he was the defending champion and seeded no. 1, as Rafael Nadal
pulled himself out just days before the tournament began. Tsonga received a bye in the first round. He defeated Ernests Gulbis
in a close second-round match, 6–7, 7–6, 7–6. Tsonga then survived another close battle against Marco Chiudinelli
of Switzerland, beating him 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, in the quarterfinals. However, he crashed out to the young Serbian Viktor Troicki
1–6, 6–2, 6–3, in the semifinals due to serious fatigue.
Tsonga also competed in the doubles category with Fabrice Santoro
. The French duo defeated Travis Parrott
and Filip Polášek
6–3, 6–7, [10–7]. Then, they defeated Benjamin Becker
and Leonardo Mayer
5–7, 6–1, [10–6] in the quarterfinals. However, they lost to Mischa Zverev
and Guillermo García López
3–6, 2–6, in the semifinals.
Tsonga then entered the Japan Open
in Tokyo. He defeated Russian Mischa Zverev
in straight sets 6–4, 6–3, in the first round. Tsonga defeated Richard Gasquet
4–6, 6–2, 6–2, in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he rallied from a set down once again, to claim a 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis
. Tsonga then reached his third ATP World Tour final of the season after defeating Gaël Monfils
in 55 minutes 6–3, 6–3. In the final, he beat Mikhail Youzhny
6–3, 6–3, in just over an hour to clinch his third title of the season and his first-ever ATP World Tour 500 title. In the doubles category, Tsonga paired up with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka
, but they were defeated in the second round.
Tsonga then entered the Shanghai Masters
in China, An ATP 1000 Masters event. He defeated Chinese Zeng Shao-Xuan 6–3, 6–3, in the second round. However, Tsonga faded to a 3–6, 3–6 loss against Robin Söderling
in the third round.
Tsonga also competed in the doubles category with Julien Benneteau
. The pair defeated Michaël Llodra
and Radek Štěpánek
7–5, 7–5, in the first round, before scoring a major upset over the world no. 1 pair Daniel Nestor
and Nenad Zimonjić
6–4, 6–4, in the second round. The French duo defeated František Čermák
and Michal Mertiňák
3–6, 6–4, [10–7], in the quarterfinal and reached the final after defeating third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi
and Mark Knowles
7–6, 6–2, in the semifinal. In the final, they beat sixth seeded Mariusz Fyrstenberg
and Marcin Matkowski
6–2, 6–4, to win their first-ever ATP Masters 1000 doubles title.
Tsonga then entered the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
in Lyon, France. He defeated Kevin Kim
of the USA in two tight sets, 7–6, 7–6, in the first round. Tsonga dominated Olivier Rochus
in the second round, 6–3, 6–2. However, an out-of-sorts Tsonga, lost a close battle against veteran Arnaud Clément
in three tight sets, 7–5, 4–6, 6–7.
Tsonga then entered the Valencia Open in Spain. Unfortunately, he had to retire in his first round match against Russian Mikhail Youzhny
, 7–6, 0–6, 0–3 (retired). With that loss, Tsonga's chances of qualifying for the year-ending world tour finals ended.
Tsonga then made his entrance at the Paris Masters
in France, an ATP 1000 Masters event. He was the defending champion. He received a bye in the first round. Tsonga started his campaign by earning a 6–1, 7–5 win over Spaniard Albert Montañés
in just 62 minutes. He stormed into the quarterfinals, beating injured Gilles Simon
, 6–2 6–3, in the third round. Tsonga then lost to world no. 2 Rafael Nadal
, 5–7, 5–7.
Tsonga ended his 2009 season staying in the top 10 for the second year in a row.
, after recovering from a wrist injury. He kicked off his season in a fine fashion by defeating Swede Robin Söderling
in straight sets, 7–6, 6–1. On day 2, he was due to face Juan Martín del Potro
, but del Potro withdrew due to an injury. Tsonga defeated Tommy Haas
, 6–4, 6–3, on day 3, but lost to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco
in the final, 5–7, 3–6.
Tsonga then entered the first Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open
. He won his first-round match against Sergiy Stakhovsky
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, and then cruised past American Taylor Dent
, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3, in the second round. Tsonga emerged the winner of a match against Germany's Tommy Haas
, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 7–5. In the fourth round, he played his first ever ATP level five-set match against 26th seed Spaniard Nicolás Almagro
, winning 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–7, 9–7. In the quarterfinals, he faced world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
, and in his second five-set match, Tsonga defeated the Serb, 7–6, 6–7, 1–6, 6–3, 6–1, after Djokovic became ill during the match. Tsonga's fatigue soon took a toll on him, however, as he was badly beaten in the semifinals by no. 1 Roger Federer
, 2–6, 3–6, 2–6.
After his run at Melbourne, he withstood a stomach injury and was forced to take a few weeks rest.
Tsonga then entered Open 13
in Marseilles, France. He was the defending champion at this tournament. After receiving a bye in the first round, Tsonga defeated Josselin Ouanna
in the second round, 7–6, 6–4, and Ukrainian Illya Marchenko
, 6–3, 6–4 to progress to the semifinals. Plagued by inconsistent form, Tsonga lost against Julien Benneteau
, 6–7, 7–5, 6–7, in the semifinal, ending his title defense.
Despite plans of not playing at the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships
, he accepted a wildcard and became the fifth seed in the tournament. He played in round 2 against Michaël Llodra
, who had arrived with form having the Open 13 title under his belt. After Tsonga took the first set 7–6, Llodra retired due to injury. Struggling with illness and lack of form, Tsonga lost against Ivan Ljubičić
, 5–7, 3–6, in the second round.
In the first round of the 2010 Davis Cup
, France faced Germany. In the singles, Tsonga helped France to take an unassailable 3–0 lead, by winning the second rubber match, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–3, against Benjamin Becker
. In the fourth rubber match (the dead rubber match), Tsonga was forced to retire against Simon Greul
, trailing 6–4, 2–6, 0–1 due to a recurring injury.
He was seeded ninth at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
in Indian Wells. After receiving a bye into the second round, he beat Marinko Matosevic
and Albert Montañés
, before crashing out to Robin Söderling
, 3–6, 4–6, in the fourth round.
He was seeded eighth at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
in Miami. After receiving a bye into the second round, he beat Guillermo García López
, 6–4, 6–3. In the third round, he took out no. 28 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber
, 6–2, 7–5. In the fourth round, he crushed no. 12 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
, 6–2, 6–2. In the quarterfinals however, he lost to no. 2 seed Rafael Nadal
, 3–6, 2–6, after blowing eight break-point opportunities.
He made his debut at the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
in Monaco as the fifth seed, and received a bye in the first round. In the second round, he played Nicolás Almagro
, and they produced another scintillating match (like in their previous meeting in Melbourne), with Tsonga prevailing 7–6, 7–5. In the third round, however, he was edged out in an exciting match against in-form no. 9 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
, 1–6, 6–3, 5–7.
Jo had been injured most of the time at the start of the clay season, not having the chance to play many clay-court tournaments. He made his debut at the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
. He was seeded third and received a bye in the first round. In the second-round, he beat Czech Jan Hájek
comfortably, 6–3, 6–2. In the third round, he faced no. 15 seed Nicolás Almagro
in a rematch of their last meeting at Monte Carlo the previous week. Jo won again in another tough match, 5–7, 6–1, 6–4. However, he was stunned by up-and-coming Dutch youngster Thiemo de Bakker
, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
in Rome as the no. 7 seed, he received a bye into the second round. He recorded his first win over Viktor Troicki
, 6–2, 6–3, in the second round. In the third round, he beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo
, 6–3, 6–4. In his first quarterfinal appearance in a clay-court Masters 1000 event, he was beaten by in-form no. 13 seed and clay-court specialist David Ferrer
, 4–6, 1–6.
At the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
, he was forced to retire in the opening round against Guillermo García López
, after trailing a set 2–6.
Seeded eighth at the 2010 French Open
, he faced a tough encounter against upcoming German Daniel Brands
, defeating the German in a grueling five-setter, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5, in the first round. He easily defeated Josselin Ouanna
, 6–0, 6–1, 6–4, in the second round. He survived a test, along with back pains, to prevail over Thiemo de Bakker
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4. Unfortunately, in the fourth round, Tsonga had to withdraw after losing the first set 2–6 against Mikhail Youzhny
, due to the progressive regional back pain from the previous round. Scans showed that Tsonga had sustained a right hip injury.
In a tune-up event to Wimbledon, at the Boodles Challenge
exhibition tournament, Tsonga won his first rubber match against Nikolay Davydenko
, 6–3, 7–6. In the second rubber match, he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber
, 6–3, 7–6.
The All England Club was Tsonga's next stop, as he was seeded tenth at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
. He defeated Robert Kendrick
in a tough opening round, 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–4. In the second round, he survived a near-meltdown to finally put away up-and-coming Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 5–7, 10–8. He also defeated German qualifier Tobias Kamke
, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6, in the third round. He went on to beat his previous best fourth round run in 2007 by beating Julien Benneteau
, 6–1, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. However, in the quarterfinals, after missing a crucial point in the second set tiebreak, which could have brought up set point for Jo for a chance to go up 2 sets to 0, he eventually fell to home favorite Andy Murray, 7–6, 6–7, 2–6, 2–6.
Not long after his Wimbledon campaign, Jo suffered a heavy knee injury. It caused him to withdraw from all the Olympus US Open Series events.
He made his return in October for his title defense at the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships
as the third seed. However, after a three-month absence from the tour, he was visibly rusty and out of sorts. He drew a tough opening round match against Thailand Open finalist Jarkko Nieminen
, and unsurprisingly lost, 4–6, 7–5, 1–6, which ended his title defense immediately.
Tsonga saw a quick recovery of his form when he competed at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000
, as the no. 12 seed. In the opening round, he defeated Feliciano López
, 7–6, 6–3. He went on to beat American Sam Querrey
, 7–6, 6–1, in the second round, and also beat Florian Mayer
, 7–5, 6–3, in the third round. In the quarterfinals, he lost to eventual champion Andy Murray, 2–6, 2–6.
Then he entered the Kremlin Cup
in Moscow, but lost against Viktor Troicki
in the second round 6–3, 3–6, 5–7. A week later, Tsonga made a semifinal appearance at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, where he was beaten 6–7, 6–2, 4–6 in the semifinals by Gaël Monfils
for the first time.
During the week in Montpellier, he re-aggravated his knee problem. He missed the Paris Masters
, as well as the important French Davis Cup
final against Serbia
. It had been a disheartening end to the season for Tsonga, as he finished the season out of the top 10 position for the first time after 2 years in the top 10.
season with an exhibition tournament at Abu Dhabi
. However, Tsonga suffered a 6–4, 6–7, 6–1 loss to Robin Söderling
. He later told the press that being out of tennis for several months last season has made him hungry and determined.
Tsonga then participated in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open
in Doha, Qatar. He defeated Spaniard Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
, 6–2, 6–0, in the first round. He went on to beat Ukrainian Sergei Bubka
, 6–2, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then went through to the semifinal, after defeating Guillermo García López
, 7–6, 7–6, but lost to the world no. 2 Roger Federer
, 3–6, 6–7 in the semifinal.
Tsonga then entered the AAMI Kooyong Classic
in Melbourne, Australia. He had to play a pro-set match against Jürgen Melzer
because of several rain delays before the match. Tsonga lost to Jürgen Melzer
, 8–6.
Tsonga then entered the year's first Grand Slam event, Australian Open
. Tsonga was seeded 13th. Tsonga came back magnificently from two sets down to win his third five-set match against Germany's Philipp Petzschner
, 4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. He then had a straight-set win over Italian Andreas Seppi
, 6–3, 7–6, 7–6, in the second round. However, Tsonga could not proceed into the second week of the tournament, as he lost to Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 1–6, 1–6, in the third round. Tsonga dropped five places on the ATP Singles Rankings to world no. 18. This was his lowest ranking since September 2008.
Tsonga then participated in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
in Rotterdam
, Netherlands. He defeated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov
, 6–4, 6–4, in the first round. He then went on to defeat Michaël Llodra
, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then entered the semifinal when Tomáš Berdych
pulled out of the event because of illness. He beat Croatian Ivan Ljubičić
, 6–4, 7–6, in the semifinal, but could not end his trophy drought, as he lost in the final 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 against Swede Robin Söderling
.
Tsonga then entered the Open 13
tennis tournament at Marseille, France. He had an easy win in the first round over Benoît Paire
, 6–1, 6–2. Tsonga then entered his third quarterfinal of the season, after beating Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky
, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, in the second round. However, he could not go all the way at his home tournament, as he lost to Russian Mikhail Youzhny
, 4–6, 6–2, 4–6, in the quarterfinals. A day later, he declared that he had sustained another ankle injury, which again put him out of Davis Cup action against Austria.
Tsonga, as the 15th seed, produced a poor showing at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
in Indian Wells. In the opening round, he fell to Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse
, 6–7, 5–7, despite serving for the second set at 5–4.
At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
in Miami, as the 15th seed again, his poor form continued. He showed lapses in form in the opening second-round match, but managed to get a win over Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3. In the third round against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Jo was a set up and a break, but true to his inconsistent form, he was taken to the deciding set. Because of the rain, the match was halted to the next day at *2–3 on serve in the third set. In the preceding day, Tsonga worked his way to hold three successive break points (40–0*) at 4–4 on the Ukrainian's serve, but his erratic form made him squander those opportunities, and he eventually lost the match 7–6, 4–6, 5–7.
After the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
, Tsonga announced that he and his long time coach Eric Winogradsky
have decided to part ways after working together for seven years.
At the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
, as the 12th seed, he began his clay-court season with a 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 win over Argentine Juan Monaco
in the first round. In the second round, he was beaten, 6–7, 4–6, by Croatian Ivan Ljubičić
, after wasting a lead by a break in both sets. At the 2011 Estoril Open
as the third seed, his form became more worrying, as he was dumped out by Pablo Cuevas
2–6, 6–7, in the opening round.
Tsonga then found some form at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
, beating first time top-10 debutant Nicolas Almagro
6–1, 6–3, before losing to Robin Söderling
, 6–7, 5–7, in the third round. At the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
, he beat juniors rival Marcos Baghdatis
6–3, 6–2, before losing to Roger Federer
4–6, 2–6, in the second round.
Tsonga was the no. 19 seed heading into the 2011 French Open
. He beat both Jan Hajek
and Igor Andreev
in straight sets and made it to the third round, where he was defeated by 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka
, after leading by two sets and 4–1 in the third set, eventually losing 6–4, 7–6, 6–7, 2–6, 3–6.
At the 2011 AEGON Championships in London, Tsonga received a first-round bye, then beat Michael Berrer
6–0, 6–1, in the second round. He then made it through to the third round when his opponent Michaël Llodra
retired with a leg injury in the middle of the first set. In the quarterfinals, he impressed by finally notching his second win over world no.1 Rafael Nadal
since the 2008 Australian Open, defeating him 6–7, 6–4, 6–1 to move through to the semifinals for the first time in a grass tournament. In the semifinals, he defeated British wildcard James Ward
6–3, 7–6, to reach his first final in a tournament other than hardcourt. In the final, he let slip a healthy lead into a disappointing loss against Andy Murray, 6–3, 6–7, 4–6.
Just 24 hours later, he arrived at the 2011 AEGON International
in Eastbourne as the top seed. In his opening round, he defeated Denis Istomin
, 6–2, 7–5. In the second round, he was fatigued and lost to Radek Stepanek
, 2–6, 3–6.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
as the 12th seed, he defeated Go Soeda
in the opening round, 6–3, 7–6, 6–2, before passing a tough test against talented up-and-coming youngster Grigor Dimitrov
, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6, in the second round. In the third round, he proceeded to take out Fernando Gonzalez
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3, while also taking out world no.7 David Ferrer
, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6. In the quarterfinals, he stunned the Centre Court crowd by coming from two sets down to defeat Federer, 3–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time, finishing the match with a love hold. This handed Federer his first loss in a Grand Slam after leading two sets to love, while handing Tsonga only his second win in coming back from two sets down.
In the semifinals, however, despite serving for the first set and saving three match points in the third-set tiebreak, he eventually lost to no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic
6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 3–6, in an emotionally charged match that allowed Djokovic to become world no. 1 for the first time.
At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Tsonga defeated Fabio Fognini
and Bernard Tomic
to set up a Wimbledon quarterfinal rematch against Roger Federer
. He prevented Federer from gaining revenge as he defeated him, 7–6(3), 4–6, 6–1, in the third round. He backed up his victory with a 6–4, 6–4 win over Nicolás Almagro
, to set up a Wimbledon semifinal rematch against Novak Djokovic
. After trailing 4–6, 0–3, Tsonga retired due to an arm problem.
At the 2011 Western & Southern Open
in Cincinnati, Tsonga defeated Marin Cilic
, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. In the second round, however, he suffered a surprise 3–6, 4–6, defeat against American qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr.
At the US Open
, he defeated Sergei Bubka
and Fernando Verdasco
to meet Mardy Fish
in the fourth round. He won that match in five sets 6–4, 6–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. He again met Roger Federer
in the quarterfinals, but this time Federer swept him aside easily 4–6, 3–6, 3–6.
Tsonga assisted France in a difficult Davis Cup semifinal against Spain on the clay courts in their hometown. In the doubles, Tsonga teamed up with Michael Llodra
to notch an impressive 6–1, 6–2, 6–0 victory over Fernando Verdasco
and Feliciano Lopez
. However, Jo came up against a ruthless Rafael Nadal
in his 4th singles rubber, to lose 0–6, 2–6, 4–6 to and lose the tie against Spain 1–3. France eventually went down 1–4 in the final result.
Tsonga played at the 2011 Open de Moselle
in Metz, France - where he was the top seeded player. He defeated Mathieu Rodrigues
6–3, 6–4 in the first round. In the quarterfinals, he prevailed against Nicolas Mahut
4–6, 6–3, 7–5. In the semifinals, he ended a two-match losing streak against Alexandr Dolgopolov by beating him 6–4, 6–4 to advance to his 3rd final of the season. In the final, Tsonga fought past Ivan Ljubicic
6–3, 6–7, 6–3 to win the tournament, which was his first title in almost two years since his triumph in Tokyo.
Tsonga, again as a top seed, played at the 2011 China Open
in Beijing for the first time since 2007. He opened his title bid against talented Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov
. After a hard-fought first set tie-break, Tsonga was able to sweep Dimitrov aside 7–6, 7–5. The second round was considerably easier as Tsonga drew Chinese Wild Card: Zhang Ze
who he beat 6–3, 6–4. It was more of the same in the quarterfinals where he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero
of Spain by the same score. As expected, the semi-finals against an in-form Tomáš Berdych
was extremely difficult. Berdych took the first set with a single break: 6–4 but Tsonga fought back to take the second 6–4. However, a fatigued Tsonga could not withstand Berdych's growing confidence, losing the 3rd set 6–1.
A great amount of injuries (Roger Federer
, Novak Djokovic
and Robin Soderling
) left Tsonga as number 4 seed for the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters. Tsonga received a bye in the first round. In the second, he met Kei Nishikori
who had come through a hard-fought victory over Robin Haase
). The consistent Japanese number one played some great tennis in the first set but was just edged out on the tie-break 7–6 after no break points for either player. In the second set, breaks were traded until eventually Nishikori came through 6–4. Despite an early break for Tsonga, Nishikori was able to come through the second set with the same scoreline - a huge disappointment for Jo as some points here were valuable for securing an ATP World Tour Finals position.
Vienna was the next destination for Tsonga in the 2011 Erste Bank Open
. Jo was the top seed for the event and so received a bye in the first round. His second round opponent was Jarkko Nieminen
, who had just lost in the final of the 2011 If Stockholm Open
to Gael Monfils
only the previous week. Nieminen, however, took the first set 6–3 after breaking Tsonga's serve early on. Despite losing the first, Tsonga came back to take the match, winning the second set 6–1. At 3–1 down in the third set, Nieminen retired due to illness. His third round opponent was Xavier Malisse
, who had already beaten Tsonga earlier this year at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
7–6, 7–5, started the stronger of the two. However, after losing the first set, Jo took the match 4–6, 7–6, 6–4. German qualifier Daniel Brands
was Tsonga's semi-final opponent after he beat fourth seed Radek Stepanek
and fellow qualifier Steve Darcis
in the round of 16 and the quarter-finals respectively. Tsonga broke twice in the first set and won a tie-break in the second to take the match 6–2, 7–6. Tsonga faced Juan Martin Del Potro
, a player who has a 3–0 record against Tsonga. The first set was tight with Del Potro taking it on a tie-break. Del Potro scored an early break in the second set, however, Tsonga broke straight back and then again to take the second set. The third set was just as close but Tsonga broke midway through it and took the match 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 for his second title of the season.
Just two days after his victory in Vienna, Tsonga played his first round match at the 2011 Valencia Open 500
as second seed. He faced little-known wildcard, Javier Marti
. Despite his inexperience, the world no. 182 put up a great fight. Tsonga eventually won 4–6, 7–5, 6–2. In the second round, Jo faced American Sam Querrey
. Sam started the match fantastically and carried the momentum into the second set winning 7–6, 6–2. Although a disappointment to lose to such a low-ranked player, Tsonga looked extremely fatigued and the loss was perhaps a blessing in disguise. The days off will give Tsonga the appropriate time to rest up for the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
.
As expected, the home crowd warmed to Jo from the start of the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, however, was a difficult second-round opponent (after Tsonga received a bye in the first round). With the crowd firmly with him, Tsonga won 6–3, 6–4. In a repeat of the 2011 Australian Open second round, Tsonga next faced Andreas Seppi
of Italy
. Just like earlier this year, Jo-Wilfried won. This time, the score was 6–3, 6–4. His quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic
was a mouth-watering encounter between two of the best players of 2011. However, it was announced earlier in the day that Djokovic had pulled out after aggravating his shoulder injury - this gave Tsonga a clear route through to the semi-finals, where he would face John Isner
. After saving 3 match points and serving phenomenally, Tsonga wrapped up the match 3–6, 7–6, 7–6 to set up a final against Roger Federer
- this will be the 6th time the two have met this year. Jo has only ever been in one ATP Masters Series
final, and this was the BNP Paribas Masters in 2008 where he defeated David Nalbandian
to take the title. This time, though, he was not so fortunate as he faced an in-form Roger Federer
. Federer stormed the first set 1–6 and took the momentum in the second. Tsonga held his serve well, only conceding one break point and also had two break points of his own. Roger was just too strong, however, as he took the match 1–6, 6–7.
As a result of his exploits in the Paris Masters, he qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
in sixth place, hence being seeded 6th. The first round robin match saw an immediate rematch against No.4 seed Federer and again Tsonga fell short, but in a close 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 battle. In his second round robin match, Tsonga defeated No.8 seed Mardy Fish
7–6, 6–1 to keep his hopes alive, while knocking out Fish in the round robin stage. In the third and final round robin match, Tsonga won an entertaining three-set battle against No.2 seed Rafael Nadal
7–6, 4–6, 6–3 to knock him out in the round robin stage and for Tsonga to progress to the semifinals. In a match of first-time semifinalists, Tsonga defeated Tomas Berdych
6–3, 7–5 to progress to the finals of the year-end championships for the first time in his career. In the final, Tsonga fought bravely but came up short once again against Roger Federer
in a 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 affair which handed Federer a record 6 titles in the year-end championships. Tsonga will finish the year with a career-high matching ranking of #6 since 2008.
, where he made the final in 2008, the quarter-final in 2009 and the semi-final in 2010 (the Australian Open plays a Plexicushion Prestige surface). In his career on the ATP circuit, the majority of his final appearances have come on hard courts. On grass, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon
in 2011, and reached the final of the Queen's Club Championships
in 2011. In general, Tsonga has struggled on clay, although his clay-court skills are improving.
He can play both two-handed and one-handed backhand . He added the one-handed backhand into his repertoire midway through 2011; evident in his matches against Murray in the final of Queen's Club and against Federer in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. Although rarely used as a groundstroke in a neutral rally, it is particularly effective as a passing shot down the line or cross-court.
.
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mother, Évelyne, and a Congolese
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
father, Didier, who moved to France in the 1970s to play handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
.
Tsonga is a member of the Tennis Club de Paris
Tennis Club de Paris
Tennis Club de Paris also known as TCP is a club who was founded in 1895 at Paris, France.Colors : Blue and GreenLocation : 15 avenue Félix d'Herelle, 75016 Paris, France-Men:* Robert Abdesselam* Eduardo Argon* Paul Aymé...
(TCP).
Tsonga rose to fame by virtue of his performance in the 2008 Australian Open
2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
when, as an unseeded player, he reached the final, having defeated four seeded players along the way, including earning a straight sets win over the then world number two Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the semifinals. Tsonga eventually lost to the then world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the final in four sets, after winning the first set, the only set Djokovic dropped during the tournament.
Tsonga followed this up by winning his first ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
championship at the 2008 Paris Masters, thus qualifying for the 2008
2008 Tennis Masters Cup
The 2008 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 39th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 34th edition of the year-end doubles championships, and part of the 2008 ATP Tour...
Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
in Shanghai, China. His best performances in a major tournament since 2008 are semifinal appearances in the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
and 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
. He also reached the final of the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals
2011 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 20 and November 27, 2011. The defending champion in singles was world no. 4 Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić...
where he lost to five-time and defending champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
.
Background
Tsonga is of mixed ancestry. His father, handball player Didier Tsonga, is Congolese and his mother Évelyne is French. Jo's father moved to France during the 1970s to fulfill his own dreams of becoming a handball great, where he eventually met Évelyne and they married. Tsonga is nicknamed the Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
of Tennis, because of his facial resemblance to the boxer.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a younger brother (Enzo) who, much like Jo, has been inspired to play sports and is part of the French basketball program (junior). He also has an elder sister (Sasha) who is less involved with sporting ventures. His football cousins are Charles N'Zogbia
Charles N'Zogbia
Charles N'Zogbia is a French footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the Premier League. N'Zogbia was capped for the France under-21 team on thirteen occasions, and made his debut for the senior side in 2010....
who currently plays for Aston Villa F.C and Maël Lépicier
Maël Lépicier
Maël Lépicier Tsonga is a Brazzaville Congolese international footballer, currently playing full back for the Belgian first division club Mons. He measures 1.84 meters and weighs 83 kilograms....
who plays for . Tsonga and Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
developed a good friendship from a young age, when they enjoyed mimicking all the tennis greats of the past.
As a junior, Tsonga reached a ranking of 2 and won the US Open title. He reached 3 other semi-finals of junior grand slam events. Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
was a rival of Tsonga's in the junior stage.
Early career
Tsonga had a successful junior career, winning the US Open Juniors title in 2003 by defeating Marcos BaghdatisMarcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
in the final, and also reached the semifinals of the other three Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
events.
After turning pro in 2004, Tsonga suffered a string of injuries beginning in late 2004, with a herniated disc that caused him to be out of action until March 2005. Then came two right shoulder injuries later in 2005, back and abdominal ailments from October 2005 to February 2006, and the recurrence of an abdominal injury at the end of 2006. In all, he played only eight tournaments during that time.
2007
In January 2007, then ranked no. 212 in the world, Tsonga received a wildcard entry into the 2007 Australian Open2007 Australian Open
The 2007 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 15 January until 28 January 2007.The total prize pool was set at exactly A$20 million, with the winners of both the men's and women's singles competition each receiving A$1,281,000. Over 500 players...
, where in only his second senior Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
match he met up with sixth seed Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
for the second time in his career. What followed was the longest tiebreak in Australian Open history in the first set, which he went on to win (20–18). Tsonga forced a tiebreak in the second set as well. However, he went on to lose the match 7–6, 6–7, 3–6, 3–6. He was just 21 at the time.
In 2007, he won eighteen Challenger
ATP Challenger Series
The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments...
titles in Tallahassee, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
, and Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
. Tsonga qualified for the 2007 Queen's Club Championships
Queen's Club Championships
The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The event is now an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament on the Association of...
, while at the same time playing in the Surbiton Challenger, which he won. Between the two events, he won five matches during the course of two days. In the second round of the Queen's main draw, he met the sixth seed and defending champion, former world no. 1 Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, ranked no. 16 in the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
rankings. Tsonga won the match after two tiebreaks 7–6, 7–6, to seal his most prominent victory since his triumph in ATP debut over former world no. 1 Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, then ranked no. 6 in the world, at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 2004. Suffering from fatigue, however, Tsonga went on to lose to promising Croatian youngster Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
in the following round.
At Wimbledon 2007
2007 Wimbledon Championships
The 2007 Wimbledon Championships were held between 25 June and 8 July 2007. For the first time there was equal prize money for the men's and women's singles champions. Reconstruction work on Centre Court was in progress and thus it had no roof....
, where he was again awarded a wildcard entry, he reached the fourth round (his first time past round one of a Grand Slam), defeating countryman Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
, Nicolás Lapentti
Nicolás Lapentti
----Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador who is ranked 214th...
, and Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
. His run was halted by his countryman and friend, 12th seed (14th-ranked) Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
, in straight sets 4–6, 3–6, 4–6. He did not beat a seeded player in his progress to the fourth round (Andy Murray, the potential seed he would have faced, had dropped out). The win brought his ranking up from no. 110 to no. 74, his first time inside the top 75.
Then, at the 2007 US Open, Tsonga defeated Óscar Hernández 7–5, 6–1, 6–3, in the first round, before beating Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 6–4, in what proved to be Henman's last Grand Slam match. He then lost to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
6–7, 2–6, 1–6.
The 2007 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
2007 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The 2007 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 21st edition of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, and was part of the International Series of the 2007 ATP Tour. It took place at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, from October...
tournament started strongly for Tsonga. He did not drop a set, beating Vincent Spadea and winning against fourth seed Richard Gasquet (who beat him at Wimbledon) 6–4, 6–4, and then defeating Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
. He then lost 6–1, 6–2 to compatriot Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien René Grosjean is a retired tennis player from France. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is No. 4 . He retired from tennis on May 27, 2010.-Career:...
. He partnered Grosjean, however, in men's doubles, where the team was awarded a wildcard. In the first round, they beat Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
and Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
, who were top seeds 2–6, 6–4, before a retirement. The team defeated compatriots Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
and Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
in the quarterfinals and third seeds and also compatriots Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
and Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
in the semifinals. Tsonga won his first doubles title, and Grosjean won his first doubles title in three years by defeating Łukasz Kubot and Lovro Zovko
Lovro Zovko
Lovro Zovko is a professional Croatian tennis player.-Tennis career:Early on in 2000 and 2001, Zovko reached the Umag final both years with Ivan Ljubičić....
in the final 6–4, 6–3.
By the end of the year, Tsonga saw his ranking rise over 150 ranking spots into the top 50. Tsonga began 2007 ranked no. 212 in the world, and in early July was in the top 100 at no. 74. In October, Tsonga climbed into the top 50 for the first time in his career, finishing the year ranked no. 43 in the world. Tsonga's year-end 169 ranking spots climb was the biggest climb of any player ranked in the top 75.
2008
2008 ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-Schedule:This...
, Tsonga won a singles match at the 2008 Next Generation Adelaide International
2008 Next Generation Adelaide International
The 2008 Next Generation Adelaide International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 31st edition of the event known that year as the Next Generation Adelaide International, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
. He defeated Victor Hănescu
Victor Hanescu
Victor Hănescu is a Romanian tennis player. He achieved his career high rank of no. 26 on July 6, 2009.- Professional career :...
6–3, 4–6, 7–5, in the first round, and scored straight sets victories over his next two opponents, defeating Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
6–3, 6–2, and Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
(the top seed) 6–4, 6–2. However, he fell in the semifinals to Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, the third seed 2–6, 4–6. In doubles, Tsonga and Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien René Grosjean is a retired tennis player from France. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is No. 4 . He retired from tennis on May 27, 2010.-Career:...
lost to Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
and Chris Haggard
Chris Haggard
Chris Haggard is a professional tennis player from South Africa.After finishing runner-up in the NAIA national men's tennis championship singles draw in 1991 while playing for Auburn University-Montgomery, Haggard turned pro in 1993. He has won six ATP Tour doubles titles and finished runner-up a...
6–2, 6–7, [6–10], in the first round.
Tsonga played doubles in the Sydney Medibank International with Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
. They scored a major upset in the finals over world no. 1 duo Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob and Mike Bryan
Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan and Michael Carl Bryan are American professional tennis double players. They have been the World No. 1 doubles player for over 270 weeks and have finished the ATP year-end number 1 doubles team a record 7 times...
4–6, 6–4, [11–9].
Tsonga began his 2008 Australian Open
2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
campaign with a tough first-round match against ninth seed Andy Murray and pulled off a shock victory 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6, setting up a clash with American qualifier Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg
Sam Warburg is a retired American male tennis player.- College career :Warburg was a 4-time All -American for Stanford University, and won the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2004. He also won the 2004 & 2005 PAC-10 Singles titles...
in the second round. After defeating Warburg in straight sets, Tsonga advanced to the third round, where he was victorious over Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
6–3, 6–4, 6–2. In the fourth round, Tsonga defeated Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3.
In the quarterfinals, Tsonga played Russia's Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, who came into the quarterfinal showdown with a nine-match winning streak. Tsonga dismantled the favored Youzhny in straight sets 7–5, 6–0, 7–6. In the semifinals, Tsonga delivered a strong performance to destroy the no. 2 seed Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
6–2, 6–3, 6–2, to complete back-to-back straight-set victories over heavily favored opponents. He did not face a break point until the third set, while breaking the Spaniard five times in the match. Nadal got three break points in a single game in the third set, but Tsonga able to save all three break points. The victory earned him a spot in his first career Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
final and also made him the first player since Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
at the 1997 French Open to make his ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
finals debut at a Grand Slam tournament.
Tsonga was beaten by world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6. Tsonga was the only player in the tournament to take a set from Djokovic. Following the tournament, he saw his ranking climb to a career-high world no. 18. Tsonga then competed at the Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....
, where he reached the fourth round, before losing to defending champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in three sets 7–6, 6–7, 5–7. Following the tournament, Tsonga saw his ATP ranking climb again to a new career high of world no. 12.
Tsonga had pulled out of the French Open because of a knee problem that had lasted for several months. This knee injury made him pull out of the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, France vs. the United States. He underwent successful knee surgery and participated in the 2008 US Open. He defeated Santiago Ventura
Santiago Ventura Bertomeu
Santiago Ventura is a retired tennis player from Spain. He was born in Castellón, Spain and lives in Burriana, Spain. He is a clay court specialist and is known for the considerable use of drop-shots during his matches.-Singles :...
in the first round 6–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3, and 2006 quarterfinalist and former world no. 1 Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
in the second round 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4. He was ousted by former world no. 5 Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
in the third round, losing in straight sets1 6–7, 2–6, 3–6.
Tsonga entered the Thailand Open
Thailand Open (tennis)
The Thailand Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour...
as the second-seeded player. After receiving a bye in the first round, Tsonga defeated Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.-2006-2008:...
in a tight three-setter 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, in the second round. He then went on to have a straight-set victory over eighth seed Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
6–3, 6–2, and a straight-set win over friend and compatriot Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
6–0, 6–3. Tsonga went on to defeat top seed and 2008 Australian Open
2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
champion Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
7–6, 6–4, to claim his first career ATP title. At the Paris Masters, Tsonga overcame Djokovic once again 6–4, 1–6, 6–3, to earn a place in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
5–7, 6–4, 7–6, to reach the semifinals, where he defeated James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
6–4, 6–3. In the final, Tsonga defeated David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in a competitive three-set match 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, to capture his first career ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
championship. His win allowed him to secure a spot in the year-end Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
.
In the round-robin portion of the Masters Cup, Tsonga lost in succession to Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
7–6, 4–6, 6–7, and Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
6–7, 6–7, preventing him from advancing to the semifinals, but defeated eventual champion Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
1–6, 7–5, 6–1.
2009
Tsonga started his 2009 season in Australia at the Brisbane International2009 Brisbane International
The 2009 Brisbane International was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the event known as the Brisbane International and resulted from the merger of the Next Generation Adelaide International on the men's tour with the Mondial Australian...
tournament. Entering the tournament as the second seed, he defeated Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri Shaal is a retired professional male tennis player from Argentina. His nickname is Gordo which means Fat in Spanish. He is known as a hard-hitter and he prefers playing on clay....
6–2, 7–5, in the first round. He then came back from a set down to win his second-round match against Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
0–6, 7–6, 7–6. He then lost, however, to Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
in the quarterfinals 6–1, 4–6, 2–6. Even though he did not win the singles title, he teamed up with fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:...
to win the doubles title by defeating Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
and Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
in the final 6–4, 6–3.
He then entered the Medibank International as the no. 3 seed, defeated Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli is a professional Italian tennis player.- 2003 :In 2003, Bolelli reached his first ITF Futures tournament semifinal at Egypt F1, losing to 485th-ranked Jaroslav Pospíšil. He played entirely Futures events except for one Challenger tournament in Brindisi, losing to Galo Blanco in the...
6–4, 6–1, in the second round, but had to retire before his quarterfinal against Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
with a back injury.
He then entered the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, defeating Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the first round 6–4, 6–4, 6–0. He then defeated Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
in the second round 6–7, 7–6, 7–6, 6–2, Dudi Sela
Dudi Sela
David "Dudi" Sela is an Israeli professional tennis player.Sela reached a career-high singles ranking of # 29 in July 2009. He is currently Israel's top men's singles player, ahead of Amir Weintraub.As a 17-year-old junior, he won the 2003 French Open boys' doubles championship with his doubles...
in the third 6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 6–1, and no. 9 seed James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
in the fourth 6–4, 6–4, 7–6. He played Spaniard Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
in the quarterfinals, losing in four sets 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6. His rank went down to no. 14.
Tsonga then entered the South African Tennis Open
2009 SA Tennis Open
The 2009 SA Tennis Open was a tennis tournament played on hard courts indoors. It is the 18th edition of the SA Tennis Open , and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2 February through 8 February 2009.The singles line up...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. He defeated Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves (tennis)
Thiago Alves is a professional tennis player who competes mainly on the ITF Tour. His career high rank was #88, achieved on July 13, 2009.- In Grand Slams :He has made four Grand Slam main draw appearances, qualifying into the...
6–4, 6–1, Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin is a professional Uzbek tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.- 2006 :...
6–1, 6–4, Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen is a former Belgian tennis player. He plays right-handed and he turned professional in 2001.He was a semi-finalist in Chennai in 2006 and in May of the same year, he reached the final of the ATP tournament in Munich, setting up the first ever all-Belgian men's singles final against...
6–4, 6–1 and Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil is a Portuguese professional tennis player who competes on the ATP Tour. In April 2011, he achieved a career-high singles world ranking no. 62, the highest ranking a Portuguese player has ever held until September when Rui Machado placed 61st in the rankings...
6–3, 6–4 to reach the final, where he beat fellow Frenchman Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no...
6–4, 7–6, to win his first title of the year and third overall, without dropping a set throughout the whole week.
After his triumph in South Africa, Tsonga then entered the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 37th edition of the event known as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and is part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. He defeated Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung is a professional Dutch tennis player.-Singles Titles:-External links:*...
7–6, 7–6, in the first round. He then defeated Russian, Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player....
in the second round 7–6, 6–2, but he lost to world no. 1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the quarterfinals 4–6, 7–6, 4–6.
Tsonga then entered the Open 13
2009 Open 13
The 2009 Open 13 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the Open 13, and was part of the International Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. He defeated Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev is a Kazakhstani professional tennis playercurrently living in Italy. His career high rank is #33, achieved on October 4, 2010. He has participated in all Grand Slam tournaments, the first being the 2008 US Open, as well in the main draw of ATP Masters Series and ATP International...
7–6, 6–2, in the first round, and then reached his sixth quarterfinal of the season by defeating Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli is a professional Italian tennis player.- 2003 :In 2003, Bolelli reached his first ITF Futures tournament semifinal at Egypt F1, losing to 485th-ranked Jaroslav Pospíšil. He played entirely Futures events except for one Challenger tournament in Brindisi, losing to Galo Blanco in the...
6–3, 6–2. After a three-set win over Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
6–2, 6–7, 6–4, Tsonga faced Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the semifinals, winning 6–4, 7–6 in what was his fourth consecutive win over the Serb. In his second all-French final of the month, he defeated Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
7–5, 7–6, to win his second tournament in three weeks.
Tsonga was then called up alongside Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
to play the singles matches for France
France Davis Cup team
The France Davis Cup team represents France in Davis Cup tennis competition, and is governed by the Fédération Française de Tennis.France is the third most successful nation, with 9 wins...
against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic Davis Cup team
The Czech Republic Davis Cup team represents the Czech Republic in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Czech Tennis Federation. The Czech team was started in 1993, following the Czechoslovakian break-up....
in their Davis Cup
2009 Davis Cup
The 2009 Davis Cup was the 98th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and more than one hundred other took part in different regional groups. Spain won their fourth title...
first-round clash, while Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
paired to play the doubles.
After Simon lost the first match against Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
, Tsonga defeated Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
7–5, 6–2, 7–6, to level the tie. It proved insufficient, though, as Llodra and Gasquet lost the doubles to Berdych and Štěpánek, and Štěpánek then proceeded to beat Simon to give Czech Republic an insurmountable 3–1 lead. Tsonga gave France a consolation point by beating Jan Hernych
Jan Hernych
Jan Mauda Hernych is a professional male tennis player from Czech Republic. Born in Prague, he turned pro in 1998 and achieved his highest ranking of World No. 59 on 27 April 2009. He is currently 241st in the ATP rankings.-External links:...
6–2, 6–7, 7–6. Although the Czech Republic won the tie 3–2, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won both of his matches and kept his winning form alive before the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
event of the year.
Tsonga then entered the BNP Paribas Open
2009 BNP Paribas Open
The 2009 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 33rd edition of the event, known that year as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2009 WTA Tour...
in Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
, where he received a bye for the first round. He defeated the Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili, 7–5, 6–3, in the second round, but made an early exit from the tournament, as he was defeated by the Russian Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
, 5–7, 4–6, in the third round.
Next up for Tsonga was the Sony Ericsson Open
2009 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open was a men's and women's tennis tournament held from March 23 to April 5, 2009. It was the 25th edition of the Miami Masters event and was played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
in Miami. He defeated Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri Shaal is a retired professional male tennis player from Argentina. His nickname is Gordo which means Fat in Spanish. He is known as a hard-hitter and he prefers playing on clay....
6–1, 6–1, in the second and Robert Kendrick
Robert Kendrick
Robert Bradley Kendrick is an American tennis player. He turned professional in 1999. His career high single ranking is world no. 69, achieved on July 20, 2009. He was suspended for a year after testing positive at the 2011 French Open for the drug methylhexanamine, which has been banned in sport...
7–5, 6–4, in third round, after receiving a first-round bye. Then, he defeated Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
in the fourth 6–7, 6–3, 6–2, only to lose to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the quarterfinal 3–6, 4–6.
Tsonga was set to make his return at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, an ATP World Tour Master 1000 event (after sacrificing two ATP World Tour Tournaments beforehand). However, he lost his first singles match in the clay-court season at the hands of Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
6–7, 4–6. Tsonga also competed in the doubles category. He and his partner Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
defeated the English pair of Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins
Ross Hutchins
Ross Dan Hutchins is a British professional tennis player, known best as a doubles player. Hutchins was born in Wimbledon, a location synonymous with tennis. Having turned professional in 2002, he enjoyed success on the Challenger circuit and broke through to the ATP Tour in late 2007...
6–4, 6–4, in the first round, but lost to the Polish pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003....
and Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth...
5–7, 3–6, in the second round.
Tsonga then entered the Madrid Masters
2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
The 2009 Madrid Masters is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 8th edition of the event on the ATP and 1st on the WTA. It is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2009 WTA Tour...
, the last 1000 ATP World Tour event before Roland-Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
. He defeated Russian Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
6–4, 7–5, in the first round to record his first clay-court match win of the 2009 season and afterwards received the 2008 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award. However, Tsonga's poor clay-court form continued, as he lost to Croat Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
4–6, 5–7, in the second round.
Tsonga then represented France at Düsseldorf, Germany in the ARAG World Team Cup, along with Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
and Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no...
. France was drawn in the Red Group against Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Tsonga won the first tie against Sweden's Andreas Vinciguerra
Andreas Vinciguerra
Andreas Vinciguerra is a tennis player from Sweden, who turned professional in 1998. He was an impressive junior, winning the European junior championships and making the final of the junior Australian Open when he was 17, when he finished number 6 in the junior rankings.-Tennis career:Vinciguerra...
4–6, 6–3, 6–4, while Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
lost the second tie to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
. However, the French pair of Tsonga and Chardy lost the tie 1–2, as they were defeated by the Swedish pair of Robin Söderling and Robert Lindstedt
Robert Lindstedt
Robert Lindstedt is a Swedish professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1998, and is a doubles specialist...
6–2, 3–6 [10–7]. Then, the French team was up against the home side Germany, who won their first tie against the United States 2–1. Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
lost the first tie to German Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler is a German professional tennis player, ranked World No. 113 in the ATP rankings. He is the last German player who reached a final in a grand slam tournament....
4–6, 4–6. Tsonga was defeated by German Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
7–6, 3–6, 3–6, who clinched the tie for Germany 2–0. France lost the tie to Germany 0–3, as the French pair of Simon and Chardy lost to the German pair of Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer , is a former German professional tennis player. His mother, Nicole, is French. He won a silver medal in men's doubles with partner Rainer Schüttler at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
and Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
0–6, 4–6. Next, it was France against the USA. Both teams were out of the competition and were playing this tie for pride. Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
won the first tie for the USA against France's Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
7–5, 6–3. Then, Tsonga was able to even the tie up, as he defeated American Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
3–6, 6–2, 6–4. However, France lost their third successive tie of the week, as the pair of Simon and Chardy lost to the American pair of Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
and Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
6–2, 4–6 [7–10].
Tsonga then entered the French Open, the year's second Grand Slam event. Tsonga recorded his first-ever match win at Roland Garros, after defeating Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. He faced Argentine Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the second round and won in a four-set thriller 7–5, 2–6, 6–1, 7–6. Tsonga earned his first straight-set win at Roland Garros when he defeated Belgian Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus is a retired professional male tennis player from Belgium.Rochus is the older brother of Olivier Rochus, also a tennis player who has been slightly more successful than Christophe. He reached the singles finals of two ATP tournaments: Valencia and Rotterdam but lost them both...
in the third round 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. However, his fine run ended at the hands of no. 5 seed Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
1–6, 7–6, 1–6, 4–6.
Tsonga then started his Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
preparations at the Gerry Weber Open
Gerry Weber Open
The Gerry Weber Open is a tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Held since 1993, the tournament is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series on the ATP Tour schedule....
in Halle, Germany
Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia
Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....
. He defeated his French compatriot Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
7–5, 6–2, in the first round. However, Tsonga suffered a straight-set defeat against German Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
3–6, 6–7 [3–7], in the second round. However, Jo was still alive in the doubles category, where he was paired along with his French compatriot Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:...
. The French pair defeated Rogier Wassen
Rogier Wassen
Rogier Wassen is a Dutch tennis player who competes regularly on the ATP Tour as a doubles player.Wassen reached his highest doubles ranking on the ATP Tour on 10 September 2007 when he became world no. 24. The right-hander has won three ATP doubles titles...
and Igor Zelenay
Igor Zelenay
Igor Zelenay is a professional tennis player. He mainly plays doubles, and his career high rank is 74, achieved on 2 February 2009. His career high in singles is 279, achieved on August 1, 2005.-Doubles:...
6–3, 6–2, in the first round, but lost to Andreas Beck
Andreas Beck (tennis)
Andreas Beck is a professional male tennis player of Germany. His career high rank was #33, achieved on November 2, 2009.- 2008 :...
and Marco Chiudinelli
Marco Chiudinelli
Marco Chiudinelli is a tennis player from Switzerland.-Biography:Marco is the only child of father Lorenzo Chiudinelli and mother Reni, . Marco grew up in Münchenstein in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. He visited schools in Münchenstein and Basel...
4–6, 6–1, [8–10] in the second round.
Tsonga then entered Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, the third Grand Slam of the year. He survived a tough four-set thriller against Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev is a Kazakhstani professional tennis playercurrently living in Italy. His career high rank is #33, achieved on October 4, 2010. He has participated in all Grand Slam tournaments, the first being the 2008 US Open, as well in the main draw of ATP Masters Series and ATP International...
6–3, 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, in the first round. After receiving a walkover from Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli
Simone Bolelli is a professional Italian tennis player.- 2003 :In 2003, Bolelli reached his first ITF Futures tournament semifinal at Egypt F1, losing to 485th-ranked Jaroslav Pospíšil. He played entirely Futures events except for one Challenger tournament in Brindisi, losing to Galo Blanco in the...
in the second round, Tsonga was not able to get past the giant ace machine Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
of Croatia, losing in four set 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–7, in the third round.
Tsonga then entered the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...
in Washington, D.C. He received a bye in the first round, but lost to the American John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
in the second round 6–4, 6–7, 6–7.
Tsonga made his debut at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. Tsonga received a bye in the first round and defeated German Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler is a German professional tennis player, ranked World No. 113 in the ATP rankings. He is the last German player who reached a final in a grand slam tournament....
4–6, 6–3, 6–4, in the second round. In the third round, he defeated Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
6–3, 6–3. In the quarterfinals he overcame world no. 1 Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
7–6, 1–6, 7–6, coming back from an injury timeout after winning the first set by a dive-volley, as well as being 1–5 down in the third set. He advanced to the semifinals, where he lost to Andy Murray 4–6, 6–7.
Tsonga then entered the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 World Tour event in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, again a debut. He received a bye in the first round and made an early exit from the singles category, unexpectedly losing to world no. 124 Chris Guccione
Chris Guccione
Christopher "Chris" Luke Guccione , is an Australian professional tennis player from Greenvale, Victoria; his father is Italian and his mother is Australian....
of Australia 6–7, 2–6, in the second round. However, Jo was still in the doubles category, as he and Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
defeated Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
and Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
7–6, 6–4, in the first round. The French duo then defeated Bruno Soares
Bruno Soares
Bruno Soares is a professional tennis player from Brazil.Soares's highest singles ranking on the ATP Tour is World No. 221, which he reached in March 2004. Primarily a doubles specialist, his career-high doubles ranking is World No. 14, reached on May 4, 2009...
and Kevin Ullyett
Kevin Ullyett
Kevin Ullyett is a former professional tennis player from Zimbabwe. His primary success on the tour has been in men's doubles. He has won 24 doubles titles, including the 2001 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open, both with Wayne Black...
6–0, 6–3, in the second round. However, they lost to Mahesh Bhupati and Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles is a former World number 1 doubles professional male tennis player from the Bahamas, who will go down as one of the greatest athletes of his country for his longevity within his sport and charitable contributions off the court.After being awarded a scholarship to the Nick...
6–7, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.
Tsonga then entered the last Grand Slam of the year; the US Open. In the first round, he dismantled world no. 920 Chase Buchanan
Chase Buchanan
Chase Buchanan Buchanan grew up and attended grade school and high school in New Albany, Ohio and now attends The Ohio State University and is a member of the tennis team) is an American men's tennis player.-Career:...
6–0, 6–2, 6–1. He defeated Finland's Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
7–5, 6–3, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then reached his first US Open fourth round, after defeating Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
7–6, 6–2, 6–4, in the third round. However, he lost to 11th seed Chilean Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
6–3, 3–6, 6–7, 4–6, in the fourth round.
Tsonga then represented France at the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
playoff round against the Netherlands. The Netherlands took the first tie, as Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
upset world no. 13 Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
. However, Tsonga strongly levelled the tie to 1 apiece, as he defeated the Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung is a professional Dutch tennis player.-Singles Titles:-External links:*...
7–6, 6–2, 7–6. Then, France took the crucial lead in the tie, as Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
and Igor Sijsling
Igor Sijsling
Igor Sijsling is a Dutch tennis player. He is coached by Dennis Schenk. He reached his career high ATP ranking of 126 on 13 December 2010.-External links:*...
6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. France ultimately qualified for the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
World Group
Davis Cup structure
The Davis Cup tennis competition is structured around a number of groups, with promotion and relegation between them.At the top is the World Group, which competes in a knockout competition. Below that it becomes regional, with an American Zone, Euro/African Zone and Asia/Oceania Zone. Each of these...
in 2010, as Tsonga defeated Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 7–6, and Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no...
defeated Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung
Jesse Huta Galung is a professional Dutch tennis player.-Singles Titles:-External links:*...
6–3, 6–2, wrapping up the tie 4–1.
Tsonga then entered the PTT Thailand Open, where he was the defending champion and seeded no. 1, as Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
pulled himself out just days before the tournament began. Tsonga received a bye in the first round. He defeated Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
in a close second-round match, 6–7, 7–6, 7–6. Tsonga then survived another close battle against Marco Chiudinelli
Marco Chiudinelli
Marco Chiudinelli is a tennis player from Switzerland.-Biography:Marco is the only child of father Lorenzo Chiudinelli and mother Reni, . Marco grew up in Münchenstein in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. He visited schools in Münchenstein and Basel...
of Switzerland, beating him 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, in the quarterfinals. However, he crashed out to the young Serbian Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...
1–6, 6–2, 6–3, in the semifinals due to serious fatigue.
Tsonga also competed in the doubles category with Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
. The French duo defeated Travis Parrott
Travis Parrott
Travis Parrott is an American professional ATP tennis doubles player. He is primarily a doubles specialist...
and Filip Polášek
Filip Polášek
Filip Polášek is a professional tennis player from Slovakia. Polášek's highest doubles ranking has been World Number 22 as of June 22, 2009. Polášek's highest singles ranking has been World Number 555 on November 26, 2007....
6–3, 6–7, [10–7]. Then, they defeated Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
and Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Martin Mayer is an Argentine professional tennis player.Mayer achieved a singles career high of world no. 51 on June 7, 2010. His career high in doubles was world no. 94 on March 1, 2010.http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/player.asp?player=100049039 He is coached by Emiliano Redondi...
5–7, 6–1, [10–6] in the quarterfinals. However, they lost to Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
and Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
3–6, 2–6, in the semifinals.
Tsonga then entered the Japan Open
Japan Open Tennis Championships
The Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Ariake Tennis Forest Park with its center court Ariake Coliseum, located in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. The championship includes both men's and women's, as well as singles and doubles competitions...
in Tokyo. He defeated Russian Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
in straight sets 6–4, 6–3, in the first round. Tsonga defeated Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
4–6, 6–2, 6–2, in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he rallied from a set down once again, to claim a 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
. Tsonga then reached his third ATP World Tour final of the season after defeating Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in 55 minutes 6–3, 6–3. In the final, he beat Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
6–3, 6–3, in just over an hour to clinch his third title of the season and his first-ever ATP World Tour 500 title. In the doubles category, Tsonga paired up with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, but they were defeated in the second round.
Tsonga then entered the Shanghai Masters
Shanghai Masters
The Shanghai Masters, also known as the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters for sponsorship purposes, is a professional ranking snooker tournament.- History :...
in China, An ATP 1000 Masters event. He defeated Chinese Zeng Shao-Xuan 6–3, 6–3, in the second round. However, Tsonga faded to a 3–6, 3–6 loss against Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
in the third round.
Tsonga also competed in the doubles category with Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
. The pair defeated Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
7–5, 7–5, in the first round, before scoring a major upset over the world no. 1 pair Daniel Nestor
Daniel Nestor
Daniel Mark Nestor, CM , born Danijel Nestorović September 4, 1972, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is a Serbian-born Canadian professional tennis player from Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
and Nenad Zimonjić
Nenad Zimonjic
Nenad Zimonjić is a professional Serbian tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 3 in men's doubles. He is the second tennis doubles player from Serbia to hold the World No.1, after Slobodan Živojinović.-Career:...
6–4, 6–4, in the second round. The French duo defeated František Čermák
František Cermák
----František Čermák is a Czech professional tennis player. Čermák turned pro in 1998. He has won 26 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and has been a finalist 19 times. He reached his career high doubles ranking of World No. 14 on February 1, 2010...
and Michal Mertiňák
Michal Mertinák
Michal Mertiňák is a professional tennis player from Slovakia. He turned professional in 1999, and has won six doubles titles in his career on the ATP Tour. He reached his career high doubles ranking of No. 35 on June 12, 2006. Mertiňák played in the 2005 Davis Cup for Slovakia, who finished...
3–6, 6–4, [10–7], in the quarterfinal and reached the final after defeating third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament...
and Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles
Mark Knowles is a former World number 1 doubles professional male tennis player from the Bahamas, who will go down as one of the greatest athletes of his country for his longevity within his sport and charitable contributions off the court.After being awarded a scholarship to the Nick...
7–6, 6–2, in the semifinal. In the final, they beat sixth seeded Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg
Mariusz Fyrstenberg is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003....
and Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski
Marcin Matkowski is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth...
6–2, 6–4, to win their first-ever ATP Masters 1000 doubles title.
Tsonga then entered the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The Open Sud de France is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to...
in Lyon, France. He defeated Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim
- External links :* *...
of the USA in two tight sets, 7–6, 7–6, in the first round. Tsonga dominated Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
in the second round, 6–3, 6–2. However, an out-of-sorts Tsonga, lost a close battle against veteran Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
in three tight sets, 7–5, 4–6, 6–7.
Tsonga then entered the Valencia Open in Spain. Unfortunately, he had to retire in his first round match against Russian Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 7–6, 0–6, 0–3 (retired). With that loss, Tsonga's chances of qualifying for the year-ending world tour finals ended.
Tsonga then made his entrance at the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
in France, an ATP 1000 Masters event. He was the defending champion. He received a bye in the first round. Tsonga started his campaign by earning a 6–1, 7–5 win over Spaniard Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
in just 62 minutes. He stormed into the quarterfinals, beating injured Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, 6–2 6–3, in the third round. Tsonga then lost to world no. 2 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 5–7, 5–7.
Tsonga ended his 2009 season staying in the top 10 for the second year in a row.
2010
Tsonga switched his rackets to Babolat (previously using Wilson) and started his 2010 season at the AAMI Kooyong Classic2010 AAMI Classic – Draw
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year.Fernando Verdasco won in the final 7-5, 6-3 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.-Players:# Novak Djokovic...
, after recovering from a wrist injury. He kicked off his season in a fine fashion by defeating Swede Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
in straight sets, 7–6, 6–1. On day 2, he was due to face Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
, but del Potro withdrew due to an injury. Tsonga defeated Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
, 6–4, 6–3, on day 3, but lost to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
in the final, 5–7, 3–6.
Tsonga then entered the first Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
. He won his first-round match against Sergiy Stakhovsky
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Sergiy Stakhovsky is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. Stakhovsky turned professional in 2003 and had been playing mostly at the Challenger level from 2005–2008. His career high in singles of #31 and his high of #86 in doubles...
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, and then cruised past American Taylor Dent
Taylor Dent
Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States.-Early career and back injury:He won 4 ATP singles titles during his career: Newport , Bangkok , Memphis , and Moscow , and reached the finals of three other events on tour...
, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3, in the second round. Tsonga emerged the winner of a match against Germany's Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 7–5. In the fourth round, he played his first ever ATP level five-set match against 26th seed Spaniard Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, winning 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–7, 9–7. In the quarterfinals, he faced world no. 3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, and in his second five-set match, Tsonga defeated the Serb, 7–6, 6–7, 1–6, 6–3, 6–1, after Djokovic became ill during the match. Tsonga's fatigue soon took a toll on him, however, as he was badly beaten in the semifinals by no. 1 Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 2–6, 3–6, 2–6.
After his run at Melbourne, he withstood a stomach injury and was forced to take a few weeks rest.
Tsonga then entered Open 13
Open 13
The Open 13 is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Marseille, France. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. It is held for one week in February...
in Marseilles, France. He was the defending champion at this tournament. After receiving a bye in the first round, Tsonga defeated Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna is a French tennis player. While a junior, he reached the final of the 2004 Australian Open. On October 20, 2008, he beat #46 Ivan Ljubičić in the first round of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon as a wild-card entry ranked #182. He then beat #83 Nicolás Lapentti but lost to #10...
in the second round, 7–6, 6–4, and Ukrainian Illya Marchenko
Illya Marchenko
Illya Marchenko is a Ukrainian male tennis player. Marchenko turned professional in 2005 and had been playing at the Futures and Challengers level from 2005–2008. His career high in singles is #67 and he is inactive in doubles...
, 6–3, 6–4 to progress to the semifinals. Plagued by inconsistent form, Tsonga lost against Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
, 6–7, 7–5, 6–7, in the semifinal, ending his title defense.
Despite plans of not playing at the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships
2010 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2010 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships was a 500 Series event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour. Both of the events took place at The Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
, he accepted a wildcard and became the fifth seed in the tournament. He played in round 2 against Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
, who had arrived with form having the Open 13 title under his belt. After Tsonga took the first set 7–6, Llodra retired due to injury. Struggling with illness and lack of form, Tsonga lost against Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
, 5–7, 3–6, in the second round.
In the first round of the 2010 Davis Cup
2010 Davis Cup
The 2010 Davis Cup was the 99th edition of the most important annual tournament among national teams in men's tennis worldwide...
, France faced Germany. In the singles, Tsonga helped France to take an unassailable 3–0 lead, by winning the second rubber match, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–3, against Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
. In the fourth rubber match (the dead rubber match), Tsonga was forced to retire against Simon Greul
Simon Greul
Simon Greul is a German male tennis player born April 13, 1981. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 176 lbs . His career high rank was #55, achieved on March 22, 2010.-Career:...
, trailing 6–4, 2–6, 0–1 due to a recurring injury.
He was seeded ninth at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
in Indian Wells. After receiving a bye into the second round, he beat Marinko Matosevic
Marinko Matosevic
Marinko Matosevic is a professional Croatian-Australian tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is No. 144, which he reached on October 25, 2010. His career high ranking in doubles was No. 541, set on September 28, 2009.-Tennis career and background:Matosevic was born in Jajce, SR Bosnia...
and Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
, before crashing out to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 3–6, 4–6, in the fourth round.
He was seeded eighth at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
in Miami. After receiving a bye into the second round, he beat Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
, 6–4, 6–3. In the third round, he took out no. 28 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
, 6–2, 7–5. In the fourth round, he crushed no. 12 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
, 6–2, 6–2. In the quarterfinals however, he lost to no. 2 seed Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 3–6, 2–6, after blowing eight break-point opportunities.
He made his debut at the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 10 through April 18, 2010, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 104th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which is sponsored by Rolex for the second time...
in Monaco as the fifth seed, and received a bye in the first round. In the second round, he played Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, and they produced another scintillating match (like in their previous meeting in Melbourne), with Tsonga prevailing 7–6, 7–5. In the third round, however, he was edged out in an exciting match against in-form no. 9 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
, 1–6, 6–3, 5–7.
Jo had been injured most of the time at the start of the clay season, not having the chance to play many clay-court tournaments. He made his debut at the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 58th edition of the event known this year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
. He was seeded third and received a bye in the first round. In the second-round, he beat Czech Jan Hájek
Jan Hájek (tennis)
Jan Hájek is a male professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is right-handed with a double handed backhand. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on November 6, 2006, when he reached world number 71....
comfortably, 6–3, 6–2. In the third round, he faced no. 15 seed Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
in a rematch of their last meeting at Monte Carlo the previous week. Jo won again in another tough match, 5–7, 6–1, 6–4. However, he was stunned by up-and-coming Dutch youngster Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, in the quarterfinals.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Rome as the no. 7 seed, he received a bye into the second round. He recorded his first win over Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...
, 6–2, 6–3, in the second round. In the third round, he beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo Salazar is a Colombian male tennis player from Pereira in Colombia. He plays on the ATP tour and represents Colombia in the Davis Cup competition.-ATP Tour:...
, 6–3, 6–4. In his first quarterfinal appearance in a clay-court Masters 1000 event, he was beaten by in-form no. 13 seed and clay-court specialist David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
, 4–6, 1–6.
At the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
, he was forced to retire in the opening round against Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
, after trailing a set 2–6.
Seeded eighth at the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, he faced a tough encounter against upcoming German Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands is a German professional tennis player. His career high rank was No. 66, achieved on July 5, 2010.- 2008 :...
, defeating the German in a grueling five-setter, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5, in the first round. He easily defeated Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna is a French tennis player. While a junior, he reached the final of the 2004 Australian Open. On October 20, 2008, he beat #46 Ivan Ljubičić in the first round of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon as a wild-card entry ranked #182. He then beat #83 Nicolás Lapentti but lost to #10...
, 6–0, 6–1, 6–4, in the second round. He survived a test, along with back pains, to prevail over Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4. Unfortunately, in the fourth round, Tsonga had to withdraw after losing the first set 2–6 against Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, due to the progressive regional back pain from the previous round. Scans showed that Tsonga had sustained a right hip injury.
In a tune-up event to Wimbledon, at the Boodles Challenge
Boodles Challenge
The Boodles Tennis Challenge is an international five day tennis exhibition held at Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire, England initially founded by veteran sports agent Patricio Apey as an event to help players hone their grass court skills in the lead-up to Wimbledon...
exhibition tournament, Tsonga won his first rubber match against Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, 6–3, 7–6. In the second rubber match, he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
, 6–3, 7–6.
The All England Club was Tsonga's next stop, as he was seeded tenth at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...
. He defeated Robert Kendrick
Robert Kendrick
Robert Bradley Kendrick is an American tennis player. He turned professional in 1999. His career high single ranking is world no. 69, achieved on July 20, 2009. He was suspended for a year after testing positive at the 2011 French Open for the drug methylhexanamine, which has been banned in sport...
in a tough opening round, 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–4. In the second round, he survived a near-meltdown to finally put away up-and-coming Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 5–7, 10–8. He also defeated German qualifier Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke is a German tennis player. He reached his career high ranking in singles at No. 64 on 31 January 2011 and in doubles at No. 419 on 17 October 2011.-2008:...
, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6, in the third round. He went on to beat his previous best fourth round run in 2007 by beating Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
, 6–1, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. However, in the quarterfinals, after missing a crucial point in the second set tiebreak, which could have brought up set point for Jo for a chance to go up 2 sets to 0, he eventually fell to home favorite Andy Murray, 7–6, 6–7, 2–6, 2–6.
Not long after his Wimbledon campaign, Jo suffered a heavy knee injury. It caused him to withdraw from all the Olympus US Open Series events.
He made his return in October for his title defense at the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships
2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships
The 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the event known that year as the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
as the third seed. However, after a three-month absence from the tour, he was visibly rusty and out of sorts. He drew a tough opening round match against Thailand Open finalist Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, and unsurprisingly lost, 4–6, 7–5, 1–6, which ended his title defense immediately.
Tsonga saw a quick recovery of his form when he competed at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000
2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000
The 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour. It took place at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's...
, as the no. 12 seed. In the opening round, he defeated Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
, 7–6, 6–3. He went on to beat American Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
, 7–6, 6–1, in the second round, and also beat Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
, 7–5, 6–3, in the third round. In the quarterfinals, he lost to eventual champion Andy Murray, 2–6, 2–6.
Then he entered the Kremlin Cup
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
in Moscow, but lost against Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...
in the second round 6–3, 3–6, 5–7. A week later, Tsonga made a semifinal appearance at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, where he was beaten 6–7, 6–2, 4–6 in the semifinals by Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
for the first time.
During the week in Montpellier, he re-aggravated his knee problem. He missed the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
, as well as the important French Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
final against Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It had been a disheartening end to the season for Tsonga, as he finished the season out of the top 10 position for the first time after 2 years in the top 10.
2011
Tsonga started his 2011 ATPAssociation of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
season with an exhibition tournament at Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
. However, Tsonga suffered a 6–4, 6–7, 6–1 loss to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
. He later told the press that being out of tennis for several months last season has made him hungry and determined.
Tsonga then participated in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
The Qatar Open, currently known as the Qatar ExxonMobil Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour...
in Doha, Qatar. He defeated Spaniard Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo
Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo is a professional male tennis player from Spain. His career-high ATP entry ranking is #50 , and his current ranking is #84 . He turned pro in 1998...
, 6–2, 6–0, in the first round. He went on to beat Ukrainian Sergei Bubka
Sergei Bubka
Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka ; is a retired Ukrainian pole vaulter. Repeatedly voted the world's best athlete, he represented the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991....
, 6–2, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then went through to the semifinal, after defeating Guillermo García López
Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Guillermo García López is a professional male tennis player from Spain.He is good friends with fellow Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero, and both train at the JC Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy in Villena, Spain.- Professional career :On November 23, 2009, García-López achieved his...
, 7–6, 7–6, but lost to the world no. 2 Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 3–6, 6–7 in the semifinal.
Tsonga then entered the AAMI Kooyong Classic
AAMI Kooyong Classic
The AAMI Classic is a professional tennis exhibition singles-only tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It is held annually in January, right before the Australian Open, at the Kooyong Stadium in Kooyong, Melbourne, Australia...
in Melbourne, Australia. He had to play a pro-set match against Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
because of several rain delays before the match. Tsonga lost to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
, 8–6.
Tsonga then entered the year's first Grand Slam event, Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
. Tsonga was seeded 13th. Tsonga came back magnificently from two sets down to win his third five-set match against Germany's Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
, 4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. He then had a straight-set win over Italian Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
, 6–3, 7–6, 7–6, in the second round. However, Tsonga could not proceed into the second week of the tournament, as he lost to Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 1–6, 1–6, in the third round. Tsonga dropped five places on the ATP Singles Rankings to world no. 18. This was his lowest ranking since September 2008.
Tsonga then participated in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the 500 series of the ATP Tour...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands. He defeated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov is a tennis player from Bulgaria. He achieved a career high ranking of World No. 52 on August 22, 2011. Dimitrov also enjoyed a very successful junior career, in which he held the World No...
, 6–4, 6–4, in the first round. He then went on to defeat Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, in the second round. Tsonga then entered the semifinal when Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
pulled out of the event because of illness. He beat Croatian Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
, 6–4, 7–6, in the semifinal, but could not end his trophy drought, as he lost in the final 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 against Swede Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
.
Tsonga then entered the Open 13
Open 13
The Open 13 is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Marseille, France. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. It is held for one week in February...
tennis tournament at Marseille, France. He had an easy win in the first round over Benoît Paire
Benoît Paire
Benoît Paire is a French tennis player. He reached a career high-ranking of 94 . He reached the 1st round of a Grand Slam event for the first time at Roland Garros in 2010...
, 6–1, 6–2. Tsonga then entered his third quarterfinal of the season, after beating Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Sergiy Stakhovsky is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. Stakhovsky turned professional in 2003 and had been playing mostly at the Challenger level from 2005–2008. His career high in singles of #31 and his high of #86 in doubles...
, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, in the second round. However, he could not go all the way at his home tournament, as he lost to Russian Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 4–6, 6–2, 4–6, in the quarterfinals. A day later, he declared that he had sustained another ankle injury, which again put him out of Davis Cup action against Austria.
Tsonga, as the 15th seed, produced a poor showing at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
in Indian Wells. In the opening round, he fell to Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
, 6–7, 5–7, despite serving for the second set at 5–4.
At the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
in Miami, as the 15th seed again, his poor form continued. He showed lapses in form in the opening second-round match, but managed to get a win over Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3. In the third round against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Jo was a set up and a break, but true to his inconsistent form, he was taken to the deciding set. Because of the rain, the match was halted to the next day at *2–3 on serve in the third set. In the preceding day, Tsonga worked his way to hold three successive break points (40–0*) at 4–4 on the Ukrainian's serve, but his erratic form made him squander those opportunities, and he eventually lost the match 7–6, 4–6, 5–7.
After the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
, Tsonga announced that he and his long time coach Eric Winogradsky
Éric Winogradsky
Éric Winogradsky is a former French tennis player. He never reached a final in singles on the ATP Tour, but was much more successful in doubles, winning two titles and finishing runner-up at the 1989 French Open....
have decided to part ways after working together for seven years.
At the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 9 through April 17, 2011, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 105th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which was sponsored by Rolex for the third time...
, as the 12th seed, he began his clay-court season with a 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 win over Argentine Juan Monaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the first round. In the second round, he was beaten, 6–7, 4–6, by Croatian Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
, after wasting a lead by a break in both sets. At the 2011 Estoril Open
2011 Estoril Open
The 2011 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 22nd edition of the Estoril Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the International-level tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
as the third seed, his form became more worrying, as he was dumped out by Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz is a Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title with Luis Horna....
2–6, 6–7, in the opening round.
Tsonga then found some form at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
2011 Mutua Madrid Open
The 2011 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from April 30 – May 8. It was the 10th edition of the event on the ATP and 3rd on the WTA...
, beating first time top-10 debutant Nicolas Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
6–1, 6–3, before losing to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 6–7, 5–7, in the third round. At the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 68th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour...
, he beat juniors rival Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
6–3, 6–2, before losing to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
4–6, 2–6, in the second round.
Tsonga was the no. 19 seed heading into the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
. He beat both Jan Hajek
Jan Hájek (tennis)
Jan Hájek is a male professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is right-handed with a double handed backhand. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on November 6, 2006, when he reached world number 71....
and Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
in straight sets and made it to the third round, where he was defeated by 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, after leading by two sets and 4–1 in the third set, eventually losing 6–4, 7–6, 6–7, 2–6, 3–6.
At the 2011 AEGON Championships in London, Tsonga received a first-round bye, then beat Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career high in singles with No. 42 on May 2010 and his high in doubles in March 2009 with No...
6–0, 6–1, in the second round. He then made it through to the third round when his opponent Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
retired with a leg injury in the middle of the first set. In the quarterfinals, he impressed by finally notching his second win over world no.1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
since the 2008 Australian Open, defeating him 6–7, 6–4, 6–1 to move through to the semifinals for the first time in a grass tournament. In the semifinals, he defeated British wildcard James Ward
James Ward (tennis)
James Ward is a British tennis player, and British no. 2 behind Andy Murray. As of 22 August 2011 he is ranked 139 in the ATP singles rankings and 234 in doubles...
6–3, 7–6, to reach his first final in a tournament other than hardcourt. In the final, he let slip a healthy lead into a disappointing loss against Andy Murray, 6–3, 6–7, 4–6.
Just 24 hours later, he arrived at the 2011 AEGON International
2011 AEGON International
The 2011 AEGON International was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 36th edition of the event for the women and the 3rd edition for the men. It was classified as a WTA Premier tournament on the 2011 WTA Tour and as an ATP World Tour 250 series...
in Eastbourne as the top seed. In his opening round, he defeated Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin is a professional Uzbek tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.- 2006 :...
, 6–2, 7–5. In the second round, he was fatigued and lost to Radek Stepanek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
, 2–6, 3–6.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
as the 12th seed, he defeated Go Soeda
Go Soeda
Go Soeda is a male Japanese tennis player. He is currently coached by Davide Sanguinetti.He started playing tennis at the age of 4, and turned professional in April 2003.- Juniors :...
in the opening round, 6–3, 7–6, 6–2, before passing a tough test against talented up-and-coming youngster Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov is a tennis player from Bulgaria. He achieved a career high ranking of World No. 52 on August 22, 2011. Dimitrov also enjoyed a very successful junior career, in which he held the World No...
, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6, in the second round. In the third round, he proceeded to take out Fernando Gonzalez
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3, while also taking out world no.7 David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6. In the quarterfinals, he stunned the Centre Court crowd by coming from two sets down to defeat Federer, 3–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time, finishing the match with a love hold. This handed Federer his first loss in a Grand Slam after leading two sets to love, while handing Tsonga only his second win in coming back from two sets down.
In the semifinals, however, despite serving for the first set and saving three match points in the third-set tiebreak, he eventually lost to no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 3–6, in an emotionally charged match that allowed Djokovic to become world no. 1 for the first time.
At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Tsonga defeated Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini is a professional tennis player.He is the current Italian No. 1. He achieved his career high rank of No. 32 in the world on 20 June 2011 as a result of his success at the 2011French Open...
and Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic is an Australian professional tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Tomic is ranked the World No. 41, making him the highest ranked Australian male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 100...
to set up a Wimbledon quarterfinal rematch against Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. He prevented Federer from gaining revenge as he defeated him, 7–6(3), 4–6, 6–1, in the third round. He backed up his victory with a 6–4, 6–4 win over Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, to set up a Wimbledon semifinal rematch against Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. After trailing 4–6, 0–3, Tsonga retired due to an arm problem.
At the 2011 Western & Southern Open
2011 Western & Southern Open
The 2011 Cincinnati Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, United States. The tournament was a joint men's and women's event, with six new courts being built for the tournament...
in Cincinnati, Tsonga defeated Marin Cilic
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
, 6–3, 6–4, in the first round. In the second round, however, he suffered a surprise 3–6, 4–6, defeat against American qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr.
At the US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, he defeated Sergei Bubka
Sergei Bubka
Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka ; is a retired Ukrainian pole vaulter. Repeatedly voted the world's best athlete, he represented the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991....
and Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
to meet Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
in the fourth round. He won that match in five sets 6–4, 6–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. He again met Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in the quarterfinals, but this time Federer swept him aside easily 4–6, 3–6, 3–6.
Tsonga assisted France in a difficult Davis Cup semifinal against Spain on the clay courts in their hometown. In the doubles, Tsonga teamed up with Michael Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
to notch an impressive 6–1, 6–2, 6–0 victory over Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
and Feliciano Lopez
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
. However, Jo came up against a ruthless Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in his 4th singles rubber, to lose 0–6, 2–6, 4–6 to and lose the tie against Spain 1–3. France eventually went down 1–4 in the final result.
Tsonga played at the 2011 Open de Moselle
2011 Open de Moselle
The 2011 Open de Moselle was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 14th edition of the Open de Moselle, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
in Metz, France - where he was the top seeded player. He defeated Mathieu Rodrigues
Mathieu Rodrigues
Mathieu Rodrigues is a French professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 221 on 24 October 2011, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 549, on 3 October 2011.-External...
6–3, 6–4 in the first round. In the quarterfinals, he prevailed against Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
4–6, 6–3, 7–5. In the semifinals, he ended a two-match losing streak against Alexandr Dolgopolov by beating him 6–4, 6–4 to advance to his 3rd final of the season. In the final, Tsonga fought past Ivan Ljubicic
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
6–3, 6–7, 6–3 to win the tournament, which was his first title in almost two years since his triumph in Tokyo.
Tsonga, again as a top seed, played at the 2011 China Open
2011 China Open (tennis)
The 2011 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
in Beijing for the first time since 2007. He opened his title bid against talented Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov is a tennis player from Bulgaria. He achieved a career high ranking of World No. 52 on August 22, 2011. Dimitrov also enjoyed a very successful junior career, in which he held the World No...
. After a hard-fought first set tie-break, Tsonga was able to sweep Dimitrov aside 7–6, 7–5. The second round was considerably easier as Tsonga drew Chinese Wild Card: Zhang Ze
Zhang Ze
Zhang Ze is a Chinese male tennis player.-External links:...
who he beat 6–3, 6–4. It was more of the same in the quarterfinals where he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
of Spain by the same score. As expected, the semi-finals against an in-form Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
was extremely difficult. Berdych took the first set with a single break: 6–4 but Tsonga fought back to take the second 6–4. However, a fatigued Tsonga could not withstand Berdych's growing confidence, losing the 3rd set 6–1.
A great amount of injuries (Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
and Robin Soderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
) left Tsonga as number 4 seed for the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters. Tsonga received a bye in the first round. In the second, he met Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori
is a Japanese tennis player, currently ranked 25th in the world, as of 10 October 2011. He began playing tennis at the age of five, and on 17 July 2007 he qualified for his first ATP main draw event at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, California at the age of 17.-Junior career:Nishikori won...
who had come through a hard-fought victory over Robin Haase
Robin Haase
Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:...
). The consistent Japanese number one played some great tennis in the first set but was just edged out on the tie-break 7–6 after no break points for either player. In the second set, breaks were traded until eventually Nishikori came through 6–4. Despite an early break for Tsonga, Nishikori was able to come through the second set with the same scoreline - a huge disappointment for Jo as some points here were valuable for securing an ATP World Tour Finals position.
Vienna was the next destination for Tsonga in the 2011 Erste Bank Open
2011 Erste Bank Open
The 2011 Erste Bank Open is a tennis tournament to be played on indoor hard courts. It is the 37th edition of the event known that year as the Erste Bank Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
. Jo was the top seed for the event and so received a bye in the first round. His second round opponent was Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, who had just lost in the final of the 2011 If Stockholm Open
2011 If Stockholm Open
The 2011 If Stockholm Open was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 43rd edition of the tournament, which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
to Gael Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
only the previous week. Nieminen, however, took the first set 6–3 after breaking Tsonga's serve early on. Despite losing the first, Tsonga came back to take the match, winning the second set 6–1. At 3–1 down in the third set, Nieminen retired due to illness. His third round opponent was Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
, who had already beaten Tsonga earlier this year at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
7–6, 7–5, started the stronger of the two. However, after losing the first set, Jo took the match 4–6, 7–6, 6–4. German qualifier Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands is a German professional tennis player. His career high rank was No. 66, achieved on July 5, 2010.- 2008 :...
was Tsonga's semi-final opponent after he beat fourth seed Radek Stepanek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
and fellow qualifier Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis
Steve Darcis is a male professional tennis player. He achieved his career high ranking of #44 on 12 May 2008.-2007:...
in the round of 16 and the quarter-finals respectively. Tsonga broke twice in the first set and won a tie-break in the second to take the match 6–2, 7–6. Tsonga faced Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
, a player who has a 3–0 record against Tsonga. The first set was tight with Del Potro taking it on a tie-break. Del Potro scored an early break in the second set, however, Tsonga broke straight back and then again to take the second set. The third set was just as close but Tsonga broke midway through it and took the match 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 for his second title of the season.
Just two days after his victory in Vienna, Tsonga played his first round match at the 2011 Valencia Open 500
2011 Valencia Open 500
The 2011 Valencia Open 500 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
as second seed. He faced little-known wildcard, Javier Marti
Javier Martí
Javier Martí Hernanz is a professional tennis player from Spain. Javier qualified for the 2011 French Open by defeating Andrej Martin, Jaroslav Pospíšil, and Ryan Harrison.His career high rank is #182, achieved on October 31, 2011....
. Despite his inexperience, the world no. 182 put up a great fight. Tsonga eventually won 4–6, 7–5, 6–2. In the second round, Jo faced American Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
. Sam started the match fantastically and carried the momentum into the second set winning 7–6, 6–2. Although a disappointment to lose to such a low-ranked player, Tsonga looked extremely fatigued and the loss was perhaps a blessing in disguise. The days off will give Tsonga the appropriate time to rest up for the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
2011 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2011 BNP Paribas Masters was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
.
As expected, the home crowd warmed to Jo from the start of the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
2011 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2011 BNP Paribas Masters was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, however, was a difficult second-round opponent (after Tsonga received a bye in the first round). With the crowd firmly with him, Tsonga won 6–3, 6–4. In a repeat of the 2011 Australian Open second round, Tsonga next faced Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Just like earlier this year, Jo-Wilfried won. This time, the score was 6–3, 6–4. His quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
was a mouth-watering encounter between two of the best players of 2011. However, it was announced earlier in the day that Djokovic had pulled out after aggravating his shoulder injury - this gave Tsonga a clear route through to the semi-finals, where he would face John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
. After saving 3 match points and serving phenomenally, Tsonga wrapped up the match 3–6, 7–6, 7–6 to set up a final against Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
- this will be the 6th time the two have met this year. Jo has only ever been in one ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
final, and this was the BNP Paribas Masters in 2008 where he defeated David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
to take the title. This time, though, he was not so fortunate as he faced an in-form Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. Federer stormed the first set 1–6 and took the momentum in the second. Tsonga held his serve well, only conceding one break point and also had two break points of his own. Roger was just too strong, however, as he took the match 1–6, 6–7.
As a result of his exploits in the Paris Masters, he qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
2011 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 20 and November 27, 2011. The defending champion in singles was world no. 4 Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić...
in sixth place, hence being seeded 6th. The first round robin match saw an immediate rematch against No.4 seed Federer and again Tsonga fell short, but in a close 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 battle. In his second round robin match, Tsonga defeated No.8 seed Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
7–6, 6–1 to keep his hopes alive, while knocking out Fish in the round robin stage. In the third and final round robin match, Tsonga won an entertaining three-set battle against No.2 seed Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
7–6, 4–6, 6–3 to knock him out in the round robin stage and for Tsonga to progress to the semifinals. In a match of first-time semifinalists, Tsonga defeated Tomas Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
6–3, 7–5 to progress to the finals of the year-end championships for the first time in his career. In the final, Tsonga fought bravely but came up short once again against Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in a 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 affair which handed Federer a record 6 titles in the year-end championships. Tsonga will finish the year with a career-high matching ranking of #6 since 2008.
Playing style
Tsonga has an entertaining style of play, known for his effectively potent serves, as well as having powerful, heavy forehands and having great touch at the net. He has an offensive baseline style of play, but is also able to mix his style of play up by rushing to the net. He is also currently one of the very few remaining players who often utilizes a serve-and-volley type of play. Tsonga's movement around the court is considered to be very good, considering his height. While he has a powerful repertoire of techniques, he has struggled to play consistently at important moments.Serve
Tsonga's serve is one of his most dominant shots, mixing both slice and speed, so enabling him to create and win easier points, such as an ace or a one-two-punch. Because of the action of his serve, which is dramatically abbreviated, he does very well to create as much power as he does, with speeds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h).Surfaces
To date, Tsonga has achieved his best results on hard courts, most notably at the Australian OpenAustralian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, where he made the final in 2008, the quarter-final in 2009 and the semi-final in 2010 (the Australian Open plays a Plexicushion Prestige surface). In his career on the ATP circuit, the majority of his final appearances have come on hard courts. On grass, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
in 2011, and reached the final of the Queen's Club Championships
Queen's Club Championships
The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The event is now an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament on the Association of...
in 2011. In general, Tsonga has struggled on clay, although his clay-court skills are improving.
Ground strokes and net-play
Tsonga is known for his aggressive groundstrokes. His forehand and backhand are both effective in setting up points. His powerful, heavy and accurate forehand is his most consistent shot, especially when delivered down the line. Although his backhand is generally not as strong as his forehand during the rallies, he is very capable of hitting attacking shots on his backhand wing. His net play is skillful, especially on attack. He often chooses to slice with great touch (especially on his backhand side), but does sometimes choose to deploy a drive volley. At times, he would often play a well-disguised drop shot to surprise his opponents during a rally.He can play both two-handed and one-handed backhand . He added the one-handed backhand into his repertoire midway through 2011; evident in his matches against Murray in the final of Queen's Club and against Federer in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. Although rarely used as a groundstroke in a neutral rally, it is particularly effective as a passing shot down the line or cross-court.
Equipment
During the off-season in 2009, Tsonga switched racquets from Wilson to Babolat. He currently uses a Babolat Aeropro Drive GT Racquet. He strings with Babolat's new RPM Blast string. He is sponsored by Adidas for his attire.Singles: 1 (0–1)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2008 | Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
Hard |  Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open... |
6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(2–7) |
Singles: 1 (0–1)
| Outcome | |Year | |Championship | |Surface | |Opponent in the final | |Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2011 2011 ATP World Tour Finals – Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion and confirmed the title, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was the 6th ATP World Tour Finals title for Federer and the 70th title of his whole career.-Seeds:... |
 London |
Hard (i) |  Roger FedererRoger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
3–6, 7–6(8–6), 3–6 |
Singles: 2 (1–1)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2008 | Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
Hard (i) |  David NalbandianDavid Nalbandian David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:... |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Runner–up | 2011 2011 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but could not participate due to mononucleosis.Roger Federer won the title, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round.... |
Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
Hard (i) | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
Doubles: 1 (1–0)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2009 | Shanghai | Hard |  Julien BenneteauJulien Benneteau Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva... |
 Mariusz FyrstenbergMariusz Fyrstenberg Mariusz Fyrstenberg is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003.... Marcin MatkowskiMarcin Matkowski Marcin Matkowski is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth... |
6–2, 6–4 |
Singles: 12 (7–5)
EWLINE
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EWLINE
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | January 31, 2008 |  MelbourneAustralian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... , Australia |
Hard | Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open... |
6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Winner | 1. | September 28, 2008 |  BangkokThailand Open (tennis) The Thailand Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour... , Thailand |
Hard (i) | Novak Djokovic |
7–6(7–4), 6–4 |
| Winner | 2. | November 2, 2008 | Paris Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... , France |
Hard (i) | David Nalbandian David Nalbandian David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:... |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 3. | February 2, 2009 |  Johannesburg, South Africa |
Hard | Jérémy Chardy Jérémy Chardy Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no... |
6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| Winner | 4. | February 16, 2009 | Marseille Open 13 The Open 13 is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Marseille, France. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. It is held for one week in February... , France |
Hard (i) | Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:... |
7–5, 7–6(7–3) |
| Winner | 5. | October 5, 2009 |  Tokyo, Japan |
Hard |  Mikhail YouzhnyMikhail Youzhny Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years.... |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | February 13, 2011 |  RotterdamABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the 500 series of the ATP Tour... , Netherlands |
Hard (i) |  Robin SöderlingRobin Söderling Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010... |
3–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | June 13, 2011 | London, United Kingdom |
Grass | Andy Murray |
6–3, 6–7(2–7), 4–6 |
| Winner | 6. | September 25, 2011 | Metz Open de Moselle The Open de Moselle is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It has been held annually since 2003. The venue for the tournament was the Arènes until 2010 and is now the Parc des Expositions since 2011... , France |
Hard (i) |  Ivan LjubičićIvan Ljubicic ----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37.... |
6–3, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | October 30, 2011 |  Vienna, Austria |
Hard (i) | Juan Martín del Potro Juan Martin Del Potro Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4... |
6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 4. | November 13, 2011 | Paris, France |
Hard (i) | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
| Runner-up | 5. | November 27, 2011 | ATP World Tour Finals, London, UK |
Hard (i) | Roger Federer |
3–6, 7–6(8–6), 3–6 |
Doubles: 5 (4–1)
EWLINE
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EWLINE
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| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | October 22, 2007 | Lyon Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon The Open Sud de France is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to... , France |
Carpet (i) | Sébastien Grosjean Sébastien Grosjean Sébastien René Grosjean is a retired tennis player from France. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is No. 4 . He retired from tennis on May 27, 2010.-Career:... |
Łukasz Kubot Lovro Zovko Lovro Zovko Lovro Zovko is a professional Croatian tennis player.-Tennis career:Early on in 2000 and 2001, Zovko reached the Umag final both years with Ivan Ljubičić.... |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | January 7, 2008 | Sydney, Australia |
Hard | Richard Gasquet Richard Gasquet Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year... |
 Bob BryanBob Bryan Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998... Mike BryanMike Bryan Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No... |
4–6, 6–4, [11–9] |
| Winner | 3. | January 11, 2009 | Brisbane Brisbane International The Brisbane International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the Women's Tennis Association Tour... , Australia |
Hard | Marc Gicquel Marc Gicquel Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:... |
 Fernando VerdascoFernando Verdasco Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...  Mischa ZverevMischa Zverev Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally... |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | October 18, 2009 |  Shanghai, China |
Hard | Julien Benneteau Julien Benneteau Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva... |
Mariusz Fyrstenberg Mariusz Fyrstenberg Mariusz Fyrstenberg is a left-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Marcin Matkowski; they have been playing together since 2003.... Marcin MatkowskiMarcin Matkowski Marcin Matkowski is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth... |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | February 20, 2011 | Marseille Open 13 The Open 13 is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Marseille, France. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. It is held for one week in February... , France |
Hard (i) | Julien Benneteau |
Robin Haase Robin Haase Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:... Ken SkupskiKen Skupski Ken Skupski is a professional tennis player who lives in Liverpool, England. He is best known as a doubles player, most successfully partnering Colin Fleming. Having played college tennis at the Louisiana State University, he turned professional in 2007... |
3–6, 7–6(7–4), [11–13] |
Singles
Davis Cup and World Team Cup matches are included in the statistics. Walkovers are neither official wins nor official losses. This table is updated till the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals2011 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 20 and November 27, 2011. The defending champion in singles was world no. 4 Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić...
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| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments Grand Slam (tennis) The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and... |
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| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | 1R | F | QF | SF 2010 Australian Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event... |
3R 2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic... |
0 / 5 | 17–5 | |||||||||
| French Open French Open (tennis) The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are... |
LQ | 1R | A | A | A | 4R 2009 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost in the fourth round to Robin Söderling. This was Nadal's first ever defeat at the French Open, having won the title in all six of his other appearances... |
4R 2010 French Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth... |
3R 2011 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever... |
0 / 4 | 8–4 | |||||||||
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | A | A | 4R | A | 3R | QF 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles The Men's Singles event at the 2010 saw Rafael Nadal, the World No. 1 and 2nd seed, defeat 12th seed Tomáš Berdych 6–3 7–5 6–4 in the final to win his 2nd Wimbledon title, and his 8th Grand Slam title overall.... |
SF 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title. Upon reaching the final, he gained the World No.1 ranking as a result. This marks the first time that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal is ranked No... |
0 / 4 | 14–4 | |||||||||
| US Open | LQ | A | A | 3R | 3R | 4R | A | QF 2011 US Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1. Djokovic claimed his first US Open title, his third Grand Slam of the year, and his fourth Grand Slam overall.-Seeds:... |
0 / 4 | 11–4 | |||||||||
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 5–3 | 8–2 | 12–4 | 12–3 | 13–4 | 0 / 17 | 50–17 | |||||||||
| Year-End Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
| ATP World Tour Finals | A | A | A | A | RR 2008 Tennis Masters Cup – Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the round robin. Rafael Nadal would have been seeded number one, but pulled out pre-tournament citing a knee injuryNovak Djokovic won in the final 6–1, 7–5, against Nikolay Davydenko.-Seeds:... |
A | A | F 2011 ATP World Tour Finals – Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion and confirmed the title, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was the 6th ATP World Tour Finals title for Federer and the 70th title of his whole career.-Seeds:... |
0 / 2 | 4–4 | |||||||||
| ATP World Tour Masters 1000 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia... |
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| Indian Wells Masters Indian Wells Masters The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California.... |
A | LQ | A | A | 4R | 3R | 4R 2010 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles The Men's singles tournament of this event started in the week of March 8. It was the year's first of nine tournaments in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series.Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but he lost to Ivan Ljubičić in the semifinals.... |
2R 2011 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 37th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011... |
0 / 4 | 5–4 | |||||||||
| Miami Masters Miami Masters The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park... |
A | LQ | A | A | 3R | QF | QF 2010 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles Andy Murray was the defending champion, but lost to Mardy Fish in the second round.Andy Roddick beat Tomáš Berdych 7-5, 6-4 to win his first Masters 1000 event since 2006... |
3R 2011 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost to Pablo Cuevas in the second round.Novak Djokovic won the title, defeating Rafael Nadal 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 in the final for the second week in a row after also beating him in the Indian Wells final the previous week... |
0 / 4 | 8–4 | |||||||||
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles Rafael Nadal defended the 2009 title by defeating his compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6–0, 6–1 to break an 11-month title drought, and to win a historic 6th consecutive title here in Monte-Carlo.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.... |
2R 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Singles Rafael Nadal was the six-time defending champion and defended his title by beating compatriot David Ferrer 6–4, 7–5. This was Nadal's 7th consecutive title in Monte-Carlo, which is the all-time record both for consecutive titles at any tournament and the most titles at this tournament.-Seeds:The... |
0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||||||||
| Rome Masters Rome Masters The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's... |
A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title by defeating David Ferrer 7–5, 6–2.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Novak Djokovic # Rafael Nadal ... |
2R 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, however he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final. Djokovic defeated him 6–4, 6–4 to win his 39th consecutive match and his 7th title of 2011... |
0 / 4 | 3–4 | |||||||||
| Madrid Masters Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... |
A | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | 2R 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles Roger Federer was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him 4–6, 6–7, in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray... |
3R 2011 Mutua Madrid Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to world No. 2 Novak Djokovic 7–5, 6–4 in the final. It was the second win for Djokovic on a ATP Master 1000 Tournament played on clay courts, the 6th title of the year and 24th of his career... |
0 / 4 | 4–4 | |||||||||
| Canada Masters Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour... |
A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | SF 2011 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles Andy Murray was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round.World No.1 Novak Djokovic won his 10th Masters 1000 title of his career and his 9th title of the year, beating Mardy Fish in the final 6–2, 3–6, 6–4... |
0 / 2 | 7–2 | |||||||||
| Cincinnati Masters Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between... |
A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | |||||||||
| Shanghai Masters Shanghai Masters (tennis) The Shanghai Masters is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's... |
Not Masters Series | 3R | QF 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000 – Singles Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Mischa Zverev.Andy Murray won this tournament, by beating Roger Federer 6–3, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.... |
2R 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Singles Andy Murray was the defending champion and successfully defended his title by beating David Ferrer 7–5, 6–4 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray ... |
0 / 3 | 4–3 | |||||||||||||
| Paris Masters Paris Masters The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour... |
2R | A | LQ | 2R | W | QF | A | F 2011 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but could not participate due to mononucleosis.Roger Federer won the title, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round.... |
1 / 5 | 12–4 | |||||||||
| Hamburg Masters Hamburg Masters The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship... |
A | A | A | A | 2R | NMS | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |||||||||||
| Win–Loss | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 10–5 | 11–8 | 11–6 | 13–9 | 1 / 31 | 47–30 | |||||||||
| Career Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Titles–Runner-ups | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 7–12 | ||||||||||
| Year End Ranking | 163 | 338 | 212 | 43 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 6 | |||||||||||