"You had to beat Federer, Murray or Djokovic, and then Rafael Nadal in the final" - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on how tough it was to win a Slam in Big 4 era
In a recent interview with Eurosport Tennis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga opened up about the difficulty of winning a Grand Slam in the era of the Big 4. Tsonga remarked that one had to beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on the trot to win a Major, a feat he considered nearly impossible.
Tsonga has three wins in six matches against the Big 4 at the Australian Open. He defeated Andy Murray in the first round and Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in 2008, and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals in 2010. But he never managed to beat them in consecutive matches.
In the interview, the Frenchman reminisced about his journey at the Australian Open over the years, saying he was not too dismayed at not winning the title.
"What is very difficult today, with this generation, is that to win a Grand Slam, you had to beat, in a row, a top 10 player, like maybe Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic, and then Rafael Nadal in the final," Tsonga said. "That was difficult, including for one of them."
Tsonga brought up his 2010 run at Melbourne Park to highlight his point. The former World No. 5 recalled how he defeated Djokovic in a high-intensity quarterfinal. But he disclosed that he was so drained after the match that it was impossible to win the semifinals against Federer.
"[In the 2010 Australian Open] I played Djokovic in the quarterfinals. I played fantastic, in a highly intensive game. What I'll keep from the match is that it shows what has been difficult for me: being able, after an exhausting, really tough game, to win the next one after that," Tsonga said.
At the same time, the 36-year-old was proud to have played in the same era as the Big 4. He said he was particularly pleased by the fact that he had beaten them more often than most players. For the record, Tsonga has 18 victories against the Big 4, the third-most behind Stan Wawrinka (21) and Juan Martin del Potro (20).
"I am also very proud to have played with [the Big-4], I think I am among the very few players who beat them many times," Tsonga said. "Even the ones that were right behind them in ranking wouldn't beat them. It was very, very rare."
"I played the match of my life against Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Australian Open" - Jo Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also looked back on his 2008 Australian Open campaign, where he defeated both Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal before falling to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Tsonga-Nadal, 2008 Australian Open semifinal.
The most incredible volleying display I have ever seen. It didn't even feel real.
Joyeux anniversaire, @tsonga7 🎂 https://t.co/9BkMufp3UR
He referred to his semifinal performance against Nadal as the "match of his life" and added that he still got goosebumps thinking about the contest.
"[The 2008 Australian Open] was a great adventure. It started well in the first round, as I defeated Andy Murray in four sets. I faced Rafa in the semifinals after beating Mikhail Youzhny, who was also in top form then. I played the match of my life [against Nadal] if I may say so," Tsonga said. "It was a huge performance. I beat him in three sets with shots that came a little bit out of nowhere. I still have goosebumps looking at the images."
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