Beating the great Roger Federer in his prime at Wimbledon was one of the biggest challenges in tennis, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed to pull it off with one of the greatest performances of his career in 2011. Federer was already a six-time Wimbledon champion when Tsonga took to the Centre Court for a quarter-final that was compelling from first shot to last.
The great Swiss champion had never lost from two sets ahead at a Grand Slam, but Tsonga ended that run as he recorded a 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win that was greeted with roars of delighted by the Frenchman. As he looks back on that memorable moment now, Tsonga does so with a calm humility and he suggests that it was just one of many magical moments in his career.
Tsonga beat Federer in six of their 18 meetings and that is a pretty decent record when you consider the brilliance that was coming his way for most of those matches and he looks back on that memorable day 15 years ago with pride. More Tennis News Novak Djokovic explains what he would ‘love’ to do with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal soon The pre-Wimbledon curse only Jannik Sinner and Roger Federer have overcome in 15 years “Beating Federer at Wimbledon in that moment was special for me,” Tsonga told Tennis365 at an Adidas event.
“I beat him a few times, but I always feel that winning on grass at Wimbledon was something very special. “What he achieved on that court is amazing.
He was the king of the grass. For me, it was a dream to be with him one day on the Centre Court at Wimbledon.
“To not just be there with him and to actually beat him, it was special. Especially after I come back from two sets to love.
No one did that against Roger at Wimbledon. “It was a day when I was serving well and everything I needed to happen went my way.
In the end, the winning moment was amazing and it is something you never forget. “If you waited for Roger to beat you at Wimbledon, he would do that.
So I had to be aggressive, I had to attack and it came off.” Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2011 Tsonga’s best performance at a Grand Slam came in 2008 when he reached the Australian Open final and he was a semi-finalist at his home Grand Slam in Paris in two occasions. Tsonga was one of the players knocking on the door of Grand Slam glory, but it tended to be slammed shut by Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Those three players dominated his bets years at the top, with the player who reached No 5 in the rankings and won 18 ATP Tour titles keen to celebrate his successes rather than lament what might have been. “I don’t have regrets,” he insists.
“Those three players were very good, this is a fact. What can we do?
“I’m very proud of what I achieved. I one of those guys who does not think about where you have gone and what you have achieved, but more about where you have come from.
“Everyone’s journey is different. Some players reach only No 50 in the world or maybe No 100 and their journey is unbelievable and they deserve great praise.
I am more this kind of guy.” With prize money of $22,524,073 and a career at the top of the game that included a Davis Cup win with France in 2017, Tsonga had a career that ensured he was etched into history as one of the greats of the French game. That status confirms he should be so proud of a career that saw him share the tennis stage with the game’s all-time greats for a decade and more.
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