Gloves off for Tsonga

May 2009 | by Jack Wilson

tsongaJo-Wilfried Tsonga - dubbed Muhammed Ali due to his physical resemblance of the legendary boxer - will be eager to land some knockout blows this grass court campaign.

And an early sparring session at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park could prove to be the ideal preparation for the big-hitting Frenchman before he takes a shot at the current heavyweights of the ATP Tour at SW19.

The exhilarating Tsonga shot to fame in 2007 at the pre-Wimbledon tournament held by Queen's Club in London. He dumped Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, the four-time Stella Artois champion, out in two tiebreaks prior to cruising as far as the fourth round at the following week's Championships before bowing out to his friend and compatriot Richard Gasquet.

And after reaching the final of the 2008 Australian Open as an unseeded player, he really became one of the stars on the circuit. But Tsonga maintained his momentum to climb as high as world no6 and claim his first ATP title.

Tsonga will be champing at the bit to make his mark this year on grass, a surface he clearly enjoys with a natural serve and volley tactics, having missed 2008's grass court season because of a severe knee injury.
tsonga
"My serve works well on the grass," admits Tsonga. "I serve hard and I enjoy it. You can do just about everything on grass!"

Even his ATP career record on the surface is outstanding, with titles at Nottingham (2004) and Surbiton (2007) having helped contribute to his impressive 10-1 grass court record on the Challenger Tour. And at a higher level his win-loss ratio is 5-2.

Tsonga was seededtsonga no1 for last year’s Nottingham Open, but he withdrew because of injury. And with that tournament now banished to the memory books, replaced by Eastbourne's AEGON International until 2013, a pre-Wimbledon tune up on the sunny south coast is certainly not out of the question for the 24-year-old rising star.

With one of the best serves on the men's circuit and great hands at the net, the six foot three, 200 pound French ace has the necessary weapons to leave the opposition trailing in his wake this summer - especially if he can fire off some of his trademark backhands down the line.

And although Tsonga plays with a swagger that endears himself to crowds across the globe, he is certainly not all show. The man from Le Mans possesses massive groundstrokes that coupled with an entertaining style of play makes him one of the jewels in the ATP Tour's crown.

Having claimed the junior US Open (2003) and reached the semi-finals in the other junior grand slams, if he can escape injury then Tsonga has a real shot at capturing Wimbledon over the next few years.

If the Swiss-based star opts to play at Queen's Club and Devonshire Park this year, a win at either venue should ensure that Tsonga delivers knockout blows at Wimbledon to make him as pleased as punch.

I serve hard and I really enjoy it. You can do just about anything on grass!

- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga