French Open 2013: Tsonga won't get a better chance to reach another Grand Slam final

Even though the French men’s tennis game is described as ‘the golden generation’, they are still waiting on that elusive Grand Slam victory. For all of Britain’s justified detractors saying that they have just one player in the top 200, Andy Murray provided their moment of glory at the US Open last year and numerous finals along the way. Even with six players in the top 32 and three in the top 20, France still awaits their first champion for 30 years when Yannick Noah defeated the great Mats Wilander in his home Slam.

Richard Gasquet‘s time has surely passed and France’s once great hope showed yesterday why. First of all, he insisted that he play his match against the dangerous Stan Wawrinka on Suzanne Lenglen instead of the main show court Philipe Chatrier. Although you can argue that this was because he would have preferred to play in a more enclosed atmosphere, it doesn’t instil confidence in a nation when one of your best players wants to shirk playing in the arena where he will have to win the championship. Gasquet’s mental strength has long been questioned and after throwing away a two set lead, you have to say this theory appears to have been proved correct.

Now that it appears that Gasquet’s promise has finally been quelled, France’s best hope lies – as it has been for some time – with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Since his breakout performance at the Australian Open in 2008, tennis fans across the world – and especially in Paris – have been waiting to see if ‘Ali’ can replicate the sort of performances that have seen him destroy Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer in the past. Unfortunately, injuries and his enigmatic personality mean that the destructive form that we sometimes see is all too often gone in a puff of smoke.

As with all the chasing pack behind the ‘big four’, the chances of reaching a final are incredibly limited as it is almost impossible to beat three of the big four en route. This time though, Tsonga has a real chance.

First of all, one of the four, Andy Murray is out injured. Even though he doesn’t have a great record on clay, he still presents a formidable challenge for anybody in the draw. And as he proved last year against Djokovic, on the big occasion in Paris, his natural enmity towards clay is almost eradicated with the crowd behind him. He simply ran out of steam against the relentless Serb.

Against Federer though, Tsonga knows he has a much better chance to reach his first French Open final. Tsonga’s remarkable matches with the Fed Express at Wimbledon 2011 and January’s Australian Open would suggest we are in for a fantastic spectacle today but with a home crowd behind him – despite the obvious love affair the French have with Federer – this is the most winnable match for Tsonga without a doubt.

If Tsonga does get through – and that’s a big if – things start to get interesting. Instead of facing another of the major players, he will likely square off against the Terrier, David Ferrer. Ferrer is one of the most difficult players to face on a tennis court. If you are off your game by even a few percent, he will take advantage. Just ask Murray last year when Ferrer took swift advantage of just a small lapse in concentration. But Tsonga has the ability to raise his game to a level above Ferrer’s all out performance level. If he is able to do this, Tsonga’s power game should be able to blast through Ferrer’s defence. And with this, the Frenchman will be in his second Grand Slam final.

Opportunities like this don’t come around too often for the chasing pack. Djokovic and Nadal are otherwise engaged on the other half of the draw and as Simon proved on Sunday, Federer is far from invincible nowadays. Tsonga must take advantage of this golden opportunity now because he might not get another like this for a long time.