TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:RAFAEL NADAL, Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic have succumbed, one way or another, to the physical demands of the modern game as the Australian Open fillets the strong from the strongest – and now hard questions will be asked again of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The hugely-entertaining Frenchman with the untapped talent came through the second five-setter of his career, as Djokovic succumbed to a mysterious stomach complaint in their marathon quarter-final, and he must steel himself for the ultimate challenge: Roger Federer.
Federer’s own struggle was functional in the tennis sense, his finely-tuned game deserting him entirely in a weird first set against Nikolay Davydenko before returning in time to see him through to the semi-finals.
Roddick’s shoulder packed up on him at just the wrong time in the fourth round against Marin Cilic, who faces Andy Murray who, in turn, saw the physical degradation of Nadal in their quarter-final not so much as a bonus but a sad backdrop to the Spaniard’s departure.
So this is a tournament of attritional tests, as players as near to physical perfection as modern technology can facilitate crack under the pressure of stretching their bodies and spirits to the limit.
Djokovic was the most despondent. He had to leave the court for what is euphemistically called a toilet break but which, clearly, was a bit more traumatic than that, before losing 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 1-6 to Tsonga. How, we wondered, would Tsonga fare against Federer?
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” was his curt response.
Djokovic, who had reasonable expectations of reaching the final, did say: “Jo played a great match,” before adding: “It was unfortunate that I couldn’t perform on the level that I wanted to in the fourth and fifth sets. It’s a bad way to go, not to be able to physically go (hard) through the whole match.”
Tsonga, meanwhile, moves on to where Djokovic had been striving. “Sometimes,” he said, “you have a problem with your forehand, some times with your backhand – and some times with your body. Today, he had some problem with his stomach, I think at the beginning of the third set. It’s good for me, bad for him. That’s it.”
He pointed out of his upcoming foe: “Roger played unbelievable today again, because Nikolay was in good shape, so it’s going to be tough. But, like today, I will give it everything.”
Tsonga has beaten Federer before but knows this is entirely different: he needs to produce an all-or-nothing attack. He reckons he will be a different player to the one who lost the final here in 2008.
“Maybe I’m stronger, physically stronger. I think I have more than one way to play, and this is why I’m better.”
He put his good run here down to having time to get ready. “Maybe because I have time to prepare more than the other grand slams.”
Federer was grilled after an exhausting match against Davydenko, a contest that had more twists than Home And Away, the Australian soap that took precedence in television coverage by the host broadcaster, Channel 7.
He had said he played best as a frontrunner; how did he cope going a set down?
“I was in a tough situation at 6-2 and 3-1 down and 15-40 on my serve,” he said.
“I knew I wasn’t looking very good. But that’s the beauty of five sets. I’m happy the way I was able to go on an incredible run and get the cushion with the extra break at the beginning of the fourth.”
At that point, Federer had won a staggering 13 games in a row – only to see Davydenko come back at him like a rottweiler looking for meat. He came through, however, securing a semi-final place for his 23rd straight grand slam, a stunning run.
Federer revealed, however: “I was just a bit worried I was not going to make it this time in the semis. You always believe the streak is going to be broken.”
Ultimately, they are all vulnerable.
MEN'S SINGLES:Quarter-finals: (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt (6) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5, (10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) bt (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) 7-6 (10-8) 6-7 (5-7) 1-6 6-3 6-1.
WOMEN'S SINGLES:Quarter-finals: (16) Na Li (Chn) bt (6) Venus Williams (USA) 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (1) Serena Williams (USA) bt (7) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
MEN'S DOUBLES:Quarter-finals: (2) Daniel Nestor (Can) and Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) bt Arnaud Clement (Fra) and Jonathan Erlich (Isr) 6-4 1-6 7-6 (8-6), Ivo Karlovic (Cro) and Dusan Vemic (Ser) bt (3) Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) and Leander Paes (Ind) 6-3 6-4.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES: Quarter-finals: (15) Maria Kirilenko (Rus) and Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Sally Peers (Aus) and Laura Robson (Brit) 6-4 6-1, (1) Cara Black (Zim) and Liezel Huber (USA) bt (7) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) and Francesca Schiavone (Ita) 6-3 6-4.
- Guardian Service
