AEGON Championship 2011: Rafael Nadal Ousted By Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Rafael Nadal opted to continue with his schedule of playing at AEGON Championships while his illustrated rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic cancelled their participation in the preparatory tournaments before Wimbledon. Nadal suffered defeat at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and appeared happy to be heading home before he comes back to participate in Wimbledon 2011 in about a week.

Nadal’s expression of frustration when his seeming ace in the beginning of the second set was called a Let said it all. This does not usually happen. It could be a reflection of lack of desire for extra fight for one more point which is so uncharacteristic of Nadal who goes on playing each point as the first point of the match. It could be a sign of mental tiredness. Were the effects of seven finals this year showing up or were they the consequences of the rigours of the French Open just undergone. Nadal appeared to be going through the motions without any inside force driving him. This became more and more apparent as the match progressed. He was not displaying the usual tenacity. Tsonga was not playing that great, but the match was tilting towards him. The body was instinctively fighting but mind was applying breaks. He gave away the second set without showing glimpses of extraordinary resistance which is the hallmark of his game.

Tsonga has an excellent grass court game but his fans have repeatedly been let down when he did not fulfill his potential. He has never been short of spectacular shots but has never showed the perseverance to reach the deserved place in a Grand Slam since the Australian Open 2008. His instinctive net approaches to attack and good baseline game should have been the recipe for success on grass. He has squandered opportunities by not getting into the extra gear when needed. He never showed the tendency to control his aggression at a critical stage in a match when it was simple percentage play that was needed.

In the third set, Nadal tried to stem the rot, but by this time Tsonga was in a different mood. Nadal did not try to go to the extreme of his talent to make a dire attempt to change the course of the match and lost 7-6 4-6 1-6. He signed a few autographs on his way out. He looked unfazed by the defeat.

Tsonga is a very good player but lacks champion’s attributes. He is a natural attacker at the net, which should have served him in good stead on grass. He has an excellent serve too. He plays well both from baseline and at the net. But he does not keep focus through out the match. He is too instinctive to play percentage. He is too casual to be a champion. Australian Open 2008 catapulted him into a serious contender at Grand Slam but he has mostly been downslide since then. Nadal on the other hand has moved into a zone where such losses are inconsequential. This win is worth celebration for Tsonga but the loss does not appear to have much value for Nadal.This loss therefore is unlikely to make any dent in the self confidence of Nadal just as it did not last year when he lost to Feliciano Lopez at the same stage. He went on to capture his second Wimbledon title. Will the history repeat itself - its a mystery that will unravel in just a fortnight.