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Only time will decide how Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's efforts will be remembered but it was hard not to conclude that the 15,000 crowd in Rod Laver Arena on Thursday night had witnessed one of the great displays in tennis history.
The 22-year-old Frenchman had already announced his arrival as
a major player by beating Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny in earlier rounds but his extraordinary 6-2 6-3 6-2 semifinal victory over Rafael Nadal was on a different level.
Nadal, the world No 2, was swept off the court by an awesome show of power, athleticism, touch and self-belief. The Spaniard is the game's most resilient player, a fighter who repeatedly comes off the ropes to land winning punches, but he was knocked out by Tsonga's dazzling array of winning shots as the 90kg Frenchman lived up to his billing as a Muhammad Ali lookalike.
Tsonga is ranked as the world No 38 and French No 5 - the rankings, incredibly, say he has four countrymen better than him. Whoever wins his match today with world No 3 Novak Djokovic, we are looking at the first Grand Slam champion other than Federer or Nadal since Marat Safin won the title here three years ago.
"He played unbelievably," a bemused Nadal said. "He hit the ball very hard every time and served unbelievably. He didn't miss one backhand and every time he hit a forehand it was a winner. I was in a good rhythm and playing fine but he was just better than me."
With its place so early in the tennis calendar, the Australian Open has a history of throwing up unlikely heroes. Since the turn of the century, Safin (world No 86), Marcos Baghdatis (No 54), Rainer Schuettler (No 36) and Arnaud Clement (No 18) have all reached the final, while Thomas Johansson (No 18) went one better by winning the title six years ago.
The emergence of Tsonga outdoes all those achievements. He has never reached a singles final on the main tour, let alone won a title, and was world No 212 only a year ago. After showing some early promise - he was world junior No 2 and won the US Open boys' title in 2003 - his career had stalled after serious injuries to his back, shoulders and knees.
"As soon as I arrived in Australia this year, I thought something special might happen," Tsonga said. "I said to myself: 'This is the first time I've arrived here without some sort of injury. Maybe that's a sign'."
Tsonga has been speaking on the phone to his parents, brother and sister every evening. "They've been watching all my matches on television," he said. "I've been getting great text messages from them. Things like: 'You're making us weep with joy.' My brother said: 'Go all the way - you can win this tournament'."
Tsonga's family home is in Le Mans. His father, Didier, who was born in Congo, went to live in that area while studying for a chemistry degree in the 1970s. He met his future wife, Evelyne, and Jo-Wilfried was born in 1985. They are a sporting family. Didier, who is now a science teacher, was a handball international, while Enzo, Jo-Wilfried's 17-year-old brother, is a basketball player. Charles N'Zogbia, the Newcastle United midfielder, is a second cousin.
"From my mother, I've inherited my coolness and my serenity," Tsonga said. "From my father, I've inherited respect for the rules and respect for the people around me. I also thank him for the physical qualities that I've inherited from him.
"I actually thank my father for my serve. It's the one shot that comes totally naturally to me. Of course I've worked on it but I often say to my coach that I could go for four days without serving and I'd pick it up again straight away on the fifth. At home there's an amazing photograph of me when I was only one. I was having my picture taken and the photographer gave me a ball. Straight away I threw the ball up in the air and raised my other arm as if to serve. And I was only one year old."
Didier took his son to play on the local tennis courts when he was eight and his ability was soon evident. At 13, he joined a tennis academy in Poitiers and in 1999, he became national champion in his age group. Since 2002, he has been based at the French federation's academy at Roland Garros, where he is coached by Eric Winogradsky. In 2004, he won his first Futures and Challenger tournaments and beat Carlos Moya, then the world No 6, in Beijing. The following year, however, injuries struck and he endured two seasons of frustration.
Tsonga took Roddick to four sets here a year ago after winning an epic first set tie-break 20-18 but did not feel comfortable in such elite company.
"I was only playing because I had a wild card through an agreement between the French and Australian federations," he said. "In the locker room, I kept saying 'excuse me' every 30 seconds."
His form on grass in England convinced Tsonga he could be a top player. He qualified for the Artois Championships at Queen's by winning two matches in one morning before sprinting across London to win his semifinal in the Surbiton Challenger tournament, which he won the following day, completing a run of five victories in six tournaments, by beating Ivo Karlovic. At Queen's he beat Lleyton Hewitt before losing to Marin Cilic and he won three rounds at Wimbledon before going out to Gasquet.
"I feel that I was made to play in big matches on the biggest stages," Tsonga said. "I've earned my place among the top players. This is only my fifth Grand Slam tournament but I never think that I'm making up for lost time. I was never jealous when I was watching Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils enjoying their successes. I just said it was destiny, for them and for me.
"When I was lying in hospital and I thought about tennis, my legs trembled. It was then that I decided three things: that I loved tennis, that I wanted to achieve great things - and that I could do it."
- INDEPENDENT
