Tsonga Shows Nadal The EXIT Door

Since coming into prominence at the 2008 Australian Open when he reached the final, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga maintained his place among the world elite, knocking on the door of ultimate glory on several occasions. Although he hasn't been able to emulate his best Grand Slam result, some strong performances this season indicate it won't be long before he will achieve his Grand Slam ambition.

Having qualified for the second time for the prestigious Masters Cup, the Frenchman was keen to make the most out of it. After succumbing to Roger Federer in the inaugural match, he knew he needed to win both upcoming round robin encounters to ensure a passage to the semifinals. He passed the first hurdle by  easing past American Mardy Fish, 7-6,6-1. It all came down to group B's final showdown, as he went head-to-head with Spaniard Rafael Nadal to battle for the last available spot. With both players having a victory under their belt, the winner was guaranteed to progress to the next stage.

While Jo is at home indoors, Nadal has always struggled on this surface. The Season's Ending crown has eluded him in four previous showings and few were counting on him to break the duck this year. It appears like the constant defeats to Djokovic have taken their toll on the former world number 1. After suffering another blow in the US Open final, Rafa became the shadow of the player he used to be. His London experience was a mere reflection of his current poor state of mind. After he scrapped a tight 7-6 third set victory over Fish in his opener, he was slaughtered by arch rival Federer who administered him one of the most humiliating defeats of his career, a 6-3,6-0 thrashing in less than 1 hour. Although he holds a 6-2 advantage over the Frenchman, Jo has always looked capable of troubling Nadal. Relying on his powerful serve and spectacular volleys, Tsonga was untouchable on serve in the first set. Rafa did wonders in forcing a tie-break, but some inspired shot-making from Jo-Wilfried saw him win it 7-2. For most of the second set things followed the same scenario. It was only in a tense 10th game that the Spaniard got a chance to break. He eventually took it and leveled at one set a piece. In the decider it was the Frenchman who drew first blood by breaking for 2-1. It was a cruising journey from then onwards for Jo, who sealed the victory on his second match point to book a semifinal date with David Ferrer.
Judging by his recent achievements, i.e. titles in Metz and Vienna and final showdown at Paris Masters, these past months have been the most consistent of Jo's career. As a result, he is currently enjoying the best ranking at number 6.
For Nadal the loss marks another failed attempt to add this trophy to his resume. And with the Spaniard admitting he has lost his passion for tennis, his fans have serious reasons to be worried. 

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