Tsonga Motivated For 2008 Final Rematch Against Djokovic

Eleven years ago, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga arrived in Melbourne Park as the No. 38 player in the ATP Rankings. The year before, the Frenchman had been ousted in the first round. But Tsonga became the story of the Australian Open, defeating four Top 15 players to reach the final, which was his first at tour-level.

Tsonga defeated second seed Rafael Nadal in less than two hours in the semi-finals, and his high-energy brand of tennis, and of course his enthusiastic post-match celebrations, immediately became a fans’ favourite and fixture in the sport. While he lost that championship match to Novak Djokovic, a first-time Grand Slam winner, it was a moment Tsonga will never forget.

“It was great. The stadium was full. A lot of Serbians of course, but also a lot of French and a lot of Australians,” Tsonga remembered. “That was a good final, so I have good memories. Of course for me, it was disappointing to lose. But anyway, it was good memories.”

With that success, though, came expectations. Tsonga has claimed 16 ATP Tour titles in his career, won more than $21 million in prize money and climbed as high as No. 5 in the ATP Rankings. But his Cinderella run to the 2008 Australian Open final also made fans hungrier to see him take it a step further.

“When you come from nowhere, nobody expects you to play that good and everybody’s cheering for you. You’re new. And after that, everybody wants something for you that you want, but you know that it’s going to take time to be consistent at this level,” Tsonga said. “All the people say that and say, ‘Okay, now you’re the best or one of the best’ and you have to be the best all the time, which is not easy to deal with, of course.”

Last April, Tsonga underwent left knee surgery to repair an injury that kept him out for seven months. And when the Frenchman returned in September, he managed to win just one of his six matches, watching his ATP Ranking fall to No. 262, his lowest point in more than a decade. So inevitably, there were times when Tsonga pondered his future.

“It’s not very easy because you have to test your mind. You have to really know if you still want to play and make the effort to come back at the best level,” Tsonga said. “But at the same time it’s really good because when you are sure that you want to come back and make all the sacrifices to be at a good level, it means that you are really motivated and ready to compete again.”

Watch Tsonga Press Conference

So it’s almost fitting that Tsonga, who defeated Martin Klizan in straight sets on Tuesday, will play World No. 1 Djokovic in the second round at Melbourne Park. As he pushes back towards the top of the sport, it’s as if he’s back where he started 11 years ago.

“Today it’s like I’m back in 2007, 2008. People expect less from me,” Tsonga said. “It’s also something good for me. I work on my side and I try to come back and be better on court and I hope I will be able to do good things again.”

Djokovic dealt with his own injury in 2018, recovering from a right elbow procedure and a 6-6 start to his season to finish as the year-end No.1 in the ATP Rankings. So he could understand what Tsonga is going through.

“It’s funny. I mean, 11 years after our first Grand Slam final here, it feels like a lot has happened for both of us. He also struggled with injuries lately. It’s good to see him playing well. It’s good to see him back,” Djokovic said. “He’s another great player, champion, someone that has been very successful in the past — an established Top 10 player, who played a Grand Slam final. [He’s] just very powerful: [his] serve, forehand, big weapons… I’m going to approach it as any other match, to be honest. Really optimistic, but also respectful, trying to do whatever I can to win it.”

Tsonga knows that he still has to regain match rhythm and will continue to rebuild his body physically to return to his best form. But for now, as motivated as ever, this match against Djokovic will be an opportunity.

“I will go on court without pressure. But we always have a little pressure, because I’m competing and when I go on court I always want to win,” Tsonga said. “But I will go a little bit more free than when I play someone else.

“I will try to take my chance, and live in the moment.”