Roger Federer will meet Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. This would be their thirteenth
meeting with Federer prevailing in nine of them. He has beaten Tsonga five
straight times since Rogers Cup in Montreal in 2011. Tsonga’s brightest moment
came at Wimbledon 2011 when he defeated Federer in the quarter-finals after
conceding the first two sets. It is their first meeting at Roland Garros. Tsonga
is yet to drop a set in this tournament whereas Federer was taken to five sets
by Gilles Simon in the fourth round.
Tsonga had four match points
against Novak Djokovic in last year’s quarter-finals but lost his heart after
failing to convert any of them to lose in five sets. In Federer he will again
find someone whose mental strength is legendary though a bit diminished in the
twilight years. Quite a few players have defeated Federer but only one of them
has acquired the reputation to be an almost certainty against him and his name
is not Tsonga. In order to come up trumps against Federer, Tsonga will have to
go into the attacking mode without committing many unforced errors. Tsonga
often employs inside out forehand which goes to the backhand of opponent and it
is likely to fetch a shorter return from Federer. However, Federer does not
give a sitter even while playing short. Tsonga will have to depend on his own
ability without expecting any help from the other end. Even the vociferous
partisan crowd can do little to dent Federer’s composure though they
might lift Tsonga’s morale. Both Tsonga and Federer can attack the net in an
equally natural manner. Federer has better mobility, better return of serve, better
drop shots and a better game. Tsonga has equally good serve, equally good court
coverage and a good capacity to ride on crowd support. His natural serve is on
T from the deuce court and wide from the ad court, both going to the backhand
of Federer. Tsonga does not have a killer backhand whereas Federer can do many
more things from his backhand. It breaks down only against Rafael Nadal’s top
spin. Tsonga also does not compare with Federer in the killer instinct and
many a time, he has floundered while nearing the finishing line.
Federer will play his usual game
whereas Tsonga will come out in an attacking mode, willing to take risks and
score winners. He will employ an overall effort rather than banking on some
predetermined shot making. If both play up to their potential, Federer will
emerge victorious. If Tsonga plays above his level and Federer below his,
Tsonga will win.
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