Tsonga destroys (2)Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 to reach his 1st Grand Slam Final

:woohoo:

what a beatdown :bowdown:

Jo-Wilfried is ultraredhot here. Rafa was just helpless today :D

I hope you dont mind me using caps, but I just wanna hammer home what the Eurosport commentators have been screaming for the last week:

"TSONGA IS THE NEXT BIG THING!"

Now, only fed stands in his way of a Grand Slams

Your thoughts guys!!!

May I add;

"BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE FROM TSONGA. HE OUTPLAYED NADAL FROM START TO FINISH. THE SPANIARD HAD NO ANSWER, AND GOT PUMMELLED OUT OF THE MATCH WITH FOREHANDS WINNERS, TANTALISING DROP SHOPS, AND JUST SUPERB SHOT SELECTIONS. AT ONE POINT, THE BRITISH EUROSPORT COMMENTATORS SAID HE WAS MISSING BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MUCH SHOT SELECTION. THEY HERALDED HIM AS "THE NEXT GENERATION". ENOUGH SAID!"

Doesnt that remind you of someone who also had too much shot selections (roger)...

Wow. Awesome stuff from Tsonga. I mean those drop volleys were sensational. And some rally shots were gasp worthy.

There were times where it looked like Tsonga would tighten up, but thank god he didn't.


Good luck vs Roger/Djoko though, Hope he doesn't become a one Slam wonder.

Amazing. Made Rafa look a complete mug.

Wow. Great match for Jo-Wilfried.

hardcore

This Tsonga is good.

This Tsonga is amazing.

amazing

Humiliating.

Absolute beatdown.

I won't even make excuses that Nadal was playing badly, he's been playing too badly for too long for it to be a valid excuse. Most of his shots looked like something you'd get out of a ball machine and Tsonga gave them what they deserved. Well done to him.

WOW! Congrats! to Tsonga :D

Routined.

2 3 and 2.

Incredible performance from Tsonga.

Except not really incredible.

He played very well but he never even allowed Nadal to put him under much pressure. Nadal never really found any way to test Tsonga's nerves out there.

gimme a break.. was that real?

"he shook up the world, he shook up the world"

Impressive performance from Tsonga - well deserved straight sets victory :yeah:

Congrats for reaching the 1st GS final :)

he can't play like this all the time, this was world-no-1-worthy.

wonder where he's gonna end in one years' time.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga :eek:

His movement is completely surreal, I haven't seen anything like it before.

I do think that Rafa made him look a bit better than he is though.

Tsonga Is Just.... He's Jst Outta This World

Amazing.

I honestly thought his backhand wouldn't hold out and nerves would get to him. I was wrong.

Rafa really needs a plan B... he looked clueless today.

Tsonga lives up the street from me, i guess with his new-found fame and money, he'll be moving uptown soon!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!! i. am. stunned. :)

Amazing from JW, Fucking too good :hatoff: :yeah:

That was incredible, I can't believe it :tape: Nadal didn't just lose, he got slaghtered. :help: Respect to Tsonga, but I'm not happy about it.

Whether I want him to win the tournament or not depends entirely on who he's playing. If it's Federer, I want him to win, if it's Djokovic, then he's going down!!!

Hell yes Jo :D Made my year.

His Overall play was awesome

That drop volley he made at 4-3 was just amazing.

That match went exactly the way I expected it to.

Tsonga is was full speed ahead. Rafa did as well as ANYONE would have done against that. Jo would have beaten just about anyone playing that way. That's how he got this far to start with. Just ask Murray, Gasquet, and Youzhny. As it seems to happen every year now at the AO, it's just his time. All the little things in the match pointed to that, especially those lucky net cords. And it seemed at a certain point that Rafa knew that and made peace with it. Never any shame in losing to a player like that. Congrats to him.

And Congrats to Rafa. He didn't play badly, at least not until the end. Very few errors. It just wasn't meant to be. And he made his first ever Hard Court GS SF. Nothing can take that away from him. He's had his best ever start to a season. I really hope it continues.

Good luck to whoever plays Tsonga in the Final. If he plays like that, or anything close, they're gonna need it.

However, we'll see if Tsonga breaks the trend of the AO breakout player who goes on to lose in the Final, does next to nothing the rest of the season, and can't follow it up at the AO the following year.

I was going to sleep but decided to watch the whole match. Tsonga was amazing. His angle drop shots :worship:. He used to be all over the place with his shots but has improved tremendously. I am impressed with how he was facing break point but held his composure and served to win the game. He DEMOLISHED Rafa today. All Nadal could do was hit moonballs hoping to for Tsonga to make the mistake but Jo just smashed the ball for the winner. :lol: So let's see...Fed reached SF and Rafa didn't win AO. ;)

what a match, nadal had no answers, he was blown off the court, only 3 bps for nadal...

"BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE FROM TSONGA. HE OUTPLAYED NADAL FROM START TO FINISH. THE SPANIARD HAD NO ANSWER, AND GOT PUMMELLED OUT OF THE MATCH WITH FOREHANDS WINNERS, TANTALISING DROP SHOPS, AND JUST SUPERB SHOT SELECTIONS. AT ONE POINT, THE BRITISH EUROSPORT COMMENTATORS SAID HE WAS MISSING BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MUCH SHOT SELECTION. THEY HERALDED HIM AS "THE NEXT GENERATION". ENOUGH SAID!"

Doesnt that remind you of someone who also had too much shot selections (roger)...

no, that reminds me of gonzalez 07 and baghdatis 06. aussie open are crazy, we should know that by now.

Congrats to Tsonga, not really surprised considering how he has been playing.

never seen someone hit drop volleys like that ever, esp. against nadal, out of this world. ALLE!

What did I say? :worship:

Winner of Roger/Djoko will be the winner of AO, simple

HELLl, YEAH!!!!!

:woohoo: :worship: Tsonga :worship: :woohoo:

:lol: :haha: Rafa-TARDS :haha: :lol:

I hope you dont mind me using caps, but I just wanna hammer home what the Eurosport commentators have been screaming for the last week:

"TSONGA IS THE NEXT BIG THING!"

Now, only fed stands in his way of a Grand Slams

Your thoughts guys!!!

May I add;

"BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE FROM TSONGA. HE OUTPLAYED NADAL FROM START TO FINISH. THE SPANIARD HAD NO ANSWER, AND GOT PUMMELLED OUT OF THE MATCH WITH FOREHANDS WINNERS, TANTALISING DROP SHOPS, AND JUST SUPERB SHOT SELECTIONS. AT ONE POINT, THE BRITISH EUROSPORT COMMENTATORS SAID HE WAS MISSING BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MUCH SHOT SELECTION. THEY HERALDED HIM AS "THE NEXT GENERATION". ENOUGH SAID!"

Doesnt that remind you of someone who also had too much shot selections (roger)...

Remeber rafa plays the ball slow he does not hit the ball throgh the court and he does not slce nor come to net. Roger does all the things i just said backed up by a big serve. Like someone else said before do not ejaculate early. He still has a man who has won 12 slams between him my freind

Does Rafa just like losing in straight sets?


Sensational...

just :worship:

he can't play like this all the time, this was world-no-1-worthy.

wonder where he's gonna end in one years' time.
We need to hold off a bit on that.

He may have a Gonzalez or Baghdatis bounce yet.

TSONGA IS INSANE .... :worship::worship::worship::worship: ...

Congrats for this marvelous win ... :worship::worship::worship::worship:

Tsonga Wasnt At His Best. Watch The Tsonga Henman Match First Set, Or First Set Of This Match To See What A Fierce Opponent He Can Be

Oh my - I am so happy! :bounce: The ballbashng pig is well and truly roasted :) I was following the livescores from work, and virtually burst out laughing when I saw it!

Well done Jo :worship:

:wavey: Nadal :lol:

I always had an inkling that Tsonga could win today.

a) Nadal's favourite/best surface is not "hard", and this has been the furthest round in a slam he has reached on a hard surface

b) Nadal was probably too relaxed, thinking he would be ok against an unseeded player

c) Pressure of the fact that he could have reached #1 by the end of the tournament

d) Australian Open always has a "surprise" finalist - Clement, Baghdatis, Schuttler, Gonzalez. Tsonga is the next one!

Wow. Tsonga was just amazing. Nadal didn't do anything wrong. He played well, but Tsonga was in the zone. There was nothing Nadal could do. Congrats to Tsonga. Well done. What an amazing player.

Amazing Tsonga! What a beatdown :worship:!
And thanks for the vCash ;)

Tsonga was too good. well done first slam final. rafa :sad:

Nadals first tough opponent of the tournament. Immediate beatdown...

I am still in shock. Well worth waking up at 3:30am to watch. That was a beatdown. Nadal didn't play bad, its just that Tsonga came to paly and wasn't taking any prisoners. When he made the first drop volley, I was like, "we shall see when there is pressure." Then he kept on making them, and making them. Great win for Tsonga congratulations on your first grand slam final.

All those drop shots, my god

Amazing from JW, Fucking too good :hatoff: :yeah:

Surprise surprise. :p

I do think that Rafa made him look a bit better than he is though.
It happens often.

Tsonga will get beaten easily by Djokovic or Federer who won't allow him to play like that.

Remeber rafa plays the ball slow he does not hit the ball throgh the court and he does not slce nor come to net. Roger does all the things i just said backed up by a big serve. Like someone else said before do not ejaculate early. He still has a man who has won 12 slams between him my freind

You are ejaculating early bud. Roger needs to beat Djokovic first. Calm down.

Never a chance for nadal in all the match

i hope that this tsonga will not be a fluke like gonzo or baghdatis :)

This was nearly Vintage tsonga

I missed most of Gonzo's run from last year. Actually, I missed all of it. But I must say: THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING I'VE SEEN IN A LOOOOOOOOOOOONG TIME!!!!! Jo was playing like he was the number 2 player and his opponent was number 38. He played some scary tennis!!! :worship:

Simply unbelieveable.

1. From the not too obvious, Tsonga played great defense. Nadal did what he always does, but Tsonga would get to balls and put them back on Nadal's side to at least neutral allowing him to then take a crack at the next shot.

2. He serve unbelieveably well. The slider up the T on the AD side, the serve out wide on the deuce, the serve up the T on the deuce...

3. He returned well. There were no easy first Fh's for Nadal. Nadal's serve out wide on the AD side wasn't that good today.

4. Astonishing power over and over again on the inside-out FH. Great construction of fh combos throughout the match. He was able to generate so much power on the run.

5. Bh was really good as well. His Bh cc that crosses the net with a margin of an inch or too is deadly. It gets short replies which he then blasts with FH's.

6. His huge hands have great touch in them and he displayed that at the net.

7. Great mental fortitude. He thought he was going to win all along.

:bounce: :dance:

I knew that Tsonga-Conga would beat Rafa but never in easy straight sets :eek: Amazing match! Tsonga's drop-volleys are the best I've ever seen. I hope he won't be one Grand Slam wonder like a couple players in the past. He is so attractive on the court, tennis needs the players like Tsonga :yeah:

wow! :worship: owned or what?!

congrats to Tsonga, this boy is good! :yeah:

This guy is :yeah:

Félicitations Jo-Wilfried :bowdown:

lol take that rafa fans

Well both Fed & Nole have been put on notice what to expect in the final. I think Djoko would get beat for sure. The only 1 man who could whether the Tsonga storm and come out on top is Fed. He's not a legend for no reason.

We need to hold off a bit on that.

He may have a Gonzalez or Baghdatis bounce yet.

that's what i meant initially (if i understand you correctly). australia's some crazy place, so tsonga playing well here doesn't mean he's up for world domination.

and seriously, the way he played tonight was flawless. he cannot play like this forever, eventually he'll start making unforced errors and all that.

i don't see him winning the tournament either.

He bewildered Murray, breezed past 2 non-contenders, commanded Gasquet, overpowered Youzhny, and now, to top it up, he’s KO’d Nadal…

Is this guy for real? I’m overwhelmed, the score is unreal, he's in the final!!!!! Thank you, thank you, Tsonga. I'm so proud of you! Good luck, and just be fearless one more time!

We need to hold off a bit on that.

He may have a Gonzalez or Baghdatis bounce yet.

Baghdatis at least won a set.

Well done Jo, I always knew you could do it, since I saw you play in Aus 2006 against Roddick.

Nadal's draw was a disgrace, and the fact that he was close, and people think he should be no.1 is a disgrace to the sport.

Hey people, would you believe GlennMirnyi (known now as Hughes) predicted this a good week ago? I admit I laughed at him but he was right :o

(missing GM in GM)

PS. Awefuckingsome job Jo :D

He moves well for a giant.

Rafa got rocked.

isnt rafa geting one too many one sided beatdowns? Nalbandian, Federer at Shangai now Tsonga, the #2 player in the world shouldnt be anybody's bitch but rafa is clearly the weakest link of the good players here.... Except clay of course

These beatdowns are getting more and more frequent for the moonballing ass picker.

Oh my - I am so happy! :bounce: The ballbashng pig is well and truly roasted :) I was following the livescores from work, and virtually burst out laughing when I saw it!

Well done Jo :worship:

:wavey: Nadal :lol:

Oh dear.. I can really picture THAT scene.. unfortunately.

Great to see Nadal's coward-gameplan being destroyed.

Humiliating.

Absolute beatdown.

I won't even make excuses that Nadal was playing badly, he's been playing too badly for too long for it to be a valid excuse. Most of his shots looked like something you'd get out of a ball machine and Tsonga gave them what they deserved. Well done to him.

I hate these "non-excuse excuses" from Nadal fans. Look, you're saying he played badly, but so what? No matter how well Nadal plays, matches against big hitters on low bouncing hard courts are never in his hands. The way Tsonga was playing, there is nothing he could have done. The same applies to Youzhny in Chennai, by the way. It's no secret that I don't like Nadal, but I do acknowledge that he is an extremely good player. You cannot let your preferences stand in the way of facts.

Excellent performance in a Grand Slam semi final. No choking no anxiety just solid play and confidence :yeah:

I hope you dont mind me using caps, but I just wanna hammer home what the Eurosport commentators have been screaming for the last week:

"TSONGA IS THE NEXT BIG THING!"

Now, only fed stands in his way of a Grand Slams

Your thoughts guys!!!

May I add;

"BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE FROM TSONGA. HE OUTPLAYED NADAL FROM START TO FINISH. THE SPANIARD HAD NO ANSWER, AND GOT PUMMELLED OUT OF THE MATCH WITH FOREHANDS WINNERS, TANTALISING DROP SHOPS, AND JUST SUPERB SHOT SELECTIONS. AT ONE POINT, THE BRITISH EUROSPORT COMMENTATORS SAID HE WAS MISSING BECAUSE HE HAD TOO MUCH SHOT SELECTION. THEY HERALDED HIM AS "THE NEXT GENERATION". ENOUGH SAID!"

Doesnt that remind you of someone who also had too much shot selections (roger)...

And doesn't it cross your mind that what they said was very contrieved, they intentionaly said it to make a paralel with Federer. Again, he doesn't remind me on Federer too much, apart from his calm and composure that I didn't know he has until this match. It's incredible how much he improved from US Open 2007, I thought Nadal will beat him on similar way as there, but instead we were once again shown how mediocree Rafa is on this type of surface. He unfolds again and again to every good player who puts up a good performance

That was absolutely unbelievable :eek:

Muzza started all this by waking the sleeping giant :devil:

big :hug:'s to my fave ladies of Rafa Maria, Yana, Cheryl, Metis, Castafiore :hug:

did that cheer ya up Rogiman? ;)

Alllezz Tsonga :yeah: :):worship: he just both outpower and outplayed Piggy, rafa fh did not hurt Tsonga bh at all :cool:

When meet the "real hard court" player, Nadal is easily roasted. This Tsonga is so f*cking good today and make the fighter Nadal go nuts :o Bravo Tsonga :devil:

Oh my - I am so happy! :bounce: The ballbashng pig is well and truly roasted :) I was following the livescores from work, and virtually burst out laughing when I saw it!

Well done Jo :worship:

:wavey: Nadal :lol:

looks like you follow all the matches on the livescores :)

amazing display from tsonga

if nole takes out fed, tsonga has a reallistic chance too go all the way.

Tsonga wins by KO:worship:


SO much happy he beat the world n°2 that way,now I think we cant say that he is just lucky or something crappy like that.
He showed that he is a contender for the title,spank nadal in 3 sets 0,even federer couldnt.

Allez Jo,do your best,you make France very very proud today:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

That was just outstanding! Poor match from Rafa (no pace; short balls for Tsonga to smack), but much of that had to do with Tsonga's brilliant play. Rafa just didn't have an answer (and no second game-plan to fall back on).

Baghdatis at least won a set.
I don't mean in the final, I mean in upcoming tournaments.

We've seen a lot of surprise packages do well in the Australian Open and then find they can't produce it the same way afterwards.

Gonzalez.
Schuettler.
Clement.
Johansson.
Baghdatis.
Enqvist.

The list goes on.

I am hugely impressed with Tsonga but I'm not ready to pencil him into the top 5 just yet.

I always had an inkling that Tsonga could win today.

a) Nadal's favourite/best surface is not "hard", and this has been the furthest round in a slam he has reached on a hard surface

b) Nadal was probably too relaxed, thinking he would be ok against an unseeded player

c) Pressure of the fact that he could have reached #1 by the end of the tournament

d) Australian Open always has a "surprise" finalist - Clement, Baghdatis, Schuttler, Gonzalez. Tsonga is the next one!

the only true reason is that he is not good enough on this surface

Tsonga :woohoo: The guy is incredible :D

A beatdown that has been long overdue.

Never thought Tsonga has the stuff to do this. Well done kid.

And keep on rigging those draws you ATP fckers. :haha: :haha:

OMG Jo! Awesome
It's only his 5th grand slam ! unbelievable

I like Nadal but I don't know how he will continue to hold his #2 spot with all of these beatdowns :confused:

Expect it to continue throughout the season, even on clay :devil:

This may be destiny folks...unlike some I wouldnt make any rock solid predictions on the Final after witnessing this total blitz, you just never know what might happen....

All I know is that Tsonga was God Tier today :eek: :eek:

Beautiful!

I loved the victory dance

He's on the front page of L'Equipe. :p

JOWILI!!!!:worship: :worship:

What an utter dismantling. Nadal didn't even play badly really, Tsonga just played superb tennis.

Nadal didn't know what hit him. He just was bested in every aspect of the game. I'm am astounded because I figured that Nadal would make it to the final, but that was just brutal.
I am very impressed with how well Tsonga performed mentally. He never even got broken the entire time, and he kept mixing it up well so that Nadal couldn't anticipate what he was going to do.
And those drop volleys were GORGEOUS. Usually Nadal is all over those, but that was just too good. SMH.

yeah thats about as far as it get
surprise finalist, then start the disappearance act
only moya a finalist here against PETE SAMPRAS
has gone on to make some kind of mark, and won Roland Garros.
Bagy has tons or promise, but to lose to Hewitt like he did is simply a step back
as for gonzolo is pretty inconsistent to be a gs contender
Tsonga reached the final and will panic, or simply his magic run with run out, like it did with gonzolo last year, when he played the final , his tank was empty

Pure pawnage.

But I don't reckon he can keep this up for a year.

isnt rafa geting one too many one sided beatdowns? Nalbandian, Federer at Shangai now Tsonga, the #2 player in the world shouldnt be anybody's bitch but rafa is clearly the weakest link of the good players here.... Except clay of course

You missed Youzhny's 6-0, 6-1 beatdown in Chennai a few weeks ago.

:hug: :hug: to all Rafatards :angel:

And a big :haha: to Rogiman :o

Amazing win :yeah:

Had nothing to lose and went for it! Took risks, served well and was hitting amazing winners.
Beautiful to watch.

A toi la victoire maintenant Jo! :rocker2:

I like Nadal but I don't know how he will continue to hold his #2 spot with all of these beatdowns :confused:


Because these beatdowns, at least this one and the one in Chennai, are coming in rounds that he's never gotten to before. He's gaining points, not losing them or staying the same.

Nadal may not have played all that badly for him - although he did miss a number of sitters here and there. Smash into the net. Pass going long. Reflex volley sent way wide.

He did, however, play bad hardcourt tennis.

He continues to play bad hardcourt tennis.

Tsonga did everything just right and didn't allow Nadal to play his game. Nadal had no answers. Some of JW-T's volleys were sublime, unbelievable.

The performance of a lifetime. :worship:

It is so curious... the recent Nadal slaughters. I mean, they are not just victories, they are profound and almost malicious and demoralising hammerings/batterings.

Nadal just got brutally knocked out kinda like how Edison Miranda just scored a picture perfect KO against Banks.

What other top player in history had a period of being made to look like complete and utter poop?

Pure pawnage.

But I don't reckon he can keep this up for a year.

of course not. he's on fire right now, something many players have experienced in australia. most of them were not even able to keep it up for another month, let alone a whole year.

he's gonna be in the same range as baghdatis is: sometimes entering the top 10, then again falling out of it and probably be ranked around 15 for the most time of his career.

Amazing performance.

Not much else to say... :eek: :worship:

Amazing

Biggest thing to hit tennis since the arrival of Rafa.

Thank god that the more talented player won. I get tired of seeing "spartan tennis" beat true talent. Time to slap down the topspin pig from his perch.

isnt rafa geting one too many one sided beatdowns? Nalbandian, Federer at Shangai now Tsonga, the #2 player in the world shouldnt be anybody's bitch but rafa is clearly the weakest link of the good players here.... Except clay of course

You forgot Youzhny devastation from Chenai.
If Youznhy managed to get past Tsonga I don't think Nadal would fair much better... there are too many players that can beat Nadal on hard-courts and he will need a lot of luck to win either AO or US Open anytime in his life

ALI ALI ALI
thank you for destroyed that pig

Seriously this is not that big of an upset, like I said before the match is up to Tsonga 100% and he played great tennis.

Quite simple ; on Hard Courts Tsonga > Nadal X100

what an great run Murray-Gasquet-Youzhny-Nadal.

Hopefully Richard Krajicek gives him the wednesday evening match in Rotterdam

The clay king was ready, a title in sight
But as the world knows, it was Jo Will's night.
My forehand was lethal, my backhand sublime,
Rafa felt pressure all of the time.
He's world #2, or so they all say,
What about me, Jo Will Boma Ye!
I took his best shot with the greatest of ease,
I gave him three break points, just as a tease.
When my game is on, the legends all shudder,
Roger and Nole...better duck, run, and cover.
Let the world know the truth, Jo Will's time has come,
Forget about top ten, I am #1.

Nadal stats for set 2 (9 games played):

2 winners (of which 1 ace)
1 UE

How funny was it to see those Rafa scared looks up to his box again? :D ive been waiting for that since the Youzhny match at 06 US Open... uncle Toni didnt know where to look - that camp of his and their Spanish flags everywhere :lol:

when Tsonga was killing Muzza in rnd 1 i did actually say he was playing like Federer, during my live commentary .. did not expect this

he showed no nerves about a chance to reach a final, can only :hatoff: to that

Fantastic to watch

I don't think Rafa played that poorly compared to his usual standard. He just couldn't get a hit in. Tsonga was a fucking weapon. I can't believe what I just saw. The ridiculously easy power coupled with his athelticism (which Jim and Roger spent most of the night claiming it to be the best in the game) plus the touch and the net.

I think if he can somehow keep this going, he could drill Djokovic, and I say that with complete respect to Novak. Federer could still have a chance because he could hang in there simply with his serve. Of course this is all hypothetical... it's hard to imagine someone could play like this again, but it'd make for a fun final.

what an great run Murray-Gasquet-Youzhny-Nadal.


:eek::eek:

how's THAT for a tough draw :worship:

Toni rigged for Rafa to get a f*ckin easy draw and Piggy still loses. WTF? What does Nadal need? Three players in the bottom 500, one 49 year old Jmac, two players in a wheelchair, plus clubbing Fed in the knee? :haha:

Seriously this is not that big of an upset, like I said before the match is up to Tsonga 100% and he played great tennis.

Quite simple ; on Hard Courts Tsonga > Nadal X100

what a shame that nadal didn't meet any decent non-choking players before. this just shows how bad tennis is today

of course not. he's on fire right now, something many players have experienced in australia. most of them were not even able to keep it up for another month, let alone a whole year.

he's gonna be in the same range as baghdatis is: sometimes entering the top 10, then again falling out of it and probably be ranked around 15 for the most time of his career.

Yes Marcos made the final, but he did not destroy anyone to get there.

He beat (shithouse) Ljubicic, and scored a Nalby choke.

Tonight's match was completely different to those.

Thank god that the more talented player won. I get tired of seeing "spartan tennis" beat true talent. Time to slap down the topspin pig from his perch.

That's why Tsonga in the final is good for the game of tennis. I'd hate to see bumrooter style in the final. Now we're guaranteed a cracker of a final between attacking style players Fed/Nole vs Tsonga. :D

amazing Tsonga :worship:

AO madness again, it happens to a new guy every year :cool:

hopefully Tsonga can keep this up for the final and rest of the year...both of which are still major doubts to me...though he has all the tools to make it happen :yeah:

Sam Warburg took more games off Tsonga than Nadal.

It's going to be a great final :D

I don't get why this is such a shock for everyone.

Sure I expected Rafa to find a way through here but more down to Tsonga not handling the occasion.

And given how many humiliations Rafa has been given on hardcourts lately, this doesn't really surprise me much at all.

That was just outstanding! Poor match from Rafa (no pace; short balls for Tsonga to smack), but much of that had to do with Tsonga's brilliant play. Rafa just didn't have an answer (and no second game-plan to fall back on).

Well Tsonga did Nadal looked off that way, Nadal played his normal game , not bad just Tsonga destroyed them, i did not think his Backhand could be that good against Nadal fh,no suprise with his fh tough, his a very all round player -well not suprise like French school is the best in tennis- he serves really well, very good returning ,nice movement more even if considering how big he is, amazing big fh and very good backhand nice drop shots, touch and volleys. and today maybe the most import its he held his nerves and composture, i had some doubt about it.

Tsonga is incredible ...

Amazing match from Tsonga.

Was kinda expecting Tsonga to tighten up like he did against Youzhny, but it didn't happen this time. Actually Nadal didn't really do anything to force Tsonga to tighten up at all. In fact I'd say his game plays into Tsonga's hands- Nadal has nothing in his game that he can consistently use to any effect against an in-form Tsonga.

The second game of that third set was critical. Nadal had three bps and couldn't convert. If he'd managed to take that, they'd probably be still on court right now.

have some respect for nadal
for the past 3+ years he has been no2 undeniably, and the only one who manages to win a few against federer
no one ever said he has the complete game
but tooo many talents players never come even half way to reaching their potential
gasquet was expected to be the france nominee to a champion, but he clearly lacks the aptitude and mentality to be a champion. Murray is still some ways far,
novak is making the grade GS after another
hope Tsonga doesnt disappear after the AO regardless of what happens in final
so many people love to hate Nadal, but at least he is doing the best with what he has, hope other start to do anywhere near that
a lot of fuzz generated for a semis aussie kid Bernard Tomic, german born, of croatia parents.
can he make the grade up, the next few years will show. Psychically more like hewitt not a real power generator

Unreal! just unreal! :eek: I like Jo's confidence and mental toughness. And those sublime drop shots. :worship:

I don't get why this is such a shock for everyone.

Sure I expected Rafa to find a way through here but more down to Tsonga not handling the occasion.

And given how many humiliations Rafa has been given on hardcourts lately, this doesn't really surprise me much at all.

no its not shock, i knew if Tsonga played like against Youznhy he was the fav but the problem was if he could deliver in that level and he was able to :).

This match was so worthy of me staying up till 6 am!! :lol:

Bravo Tsonga! Quel exploit! :hatoff:

Nadal was simply outplayed, outclassed, outmatched. :speakles:
And didn't know what hit him!

Yes Marcos made the final, but he did not destroy anyone to get there.

He beat (shithouse) Ljubicic, and scored a Nalby choke.

Tonight's match was completely different to those.

so? gonzalez destroyed nadal, hewitt and haas during his run to the final in melbourne last year; obviously it had nothing to do with his performance over the year. as roger said: starting in the quarters of slams, it's all down to day form. that's all.

plus i didn't compare baghdatis' game with tsongas, i was just talking about their probable rankings resemblance (in my opinion).

Great stuff from Tsonga, from power to touch drop volleys, he had it all tonight. What a beatdown

Can I just ask: how did Muzza manage to bagel him? :tape:

The diff is that I've never seen a guy become so suddenly dominating with a game that looks like it's totally unforced. Is this Boris Becker 1985 all over again?

Amazing Jo :speakles: :worship: :worship:

tsonga played very well, nadal hit 13 winners in 25 games if a top woman did that she get called pathetic, and thats what nadal was today pathetic, short shots, total defense, no imagination, no flare and didn't try to realy attack even when he was losing. tsonga played the attacking tennis you need to against nadal.

i think tsonga has done realy well reaching the final but hes had it his own way hes played 4 very good/decent players trouble is that all 4 (murray, gasguet, youzhny and nadal) play a defensive style of tennis. none of them are anywhere as near as attacking as tsonga thus playing into his hands, all 4 players have said here have a go and to tsongas credit hes gone for it and made it. it will be an intresting final if he plays federer because he isn't gonna spend the match defending or 10 feet behind the baseline, how will tsonga cope with someone coming at him?

Tennis Won!:angel:

I rooted for Rafa to win, but Tsonga making the final is a great story and it is objectively a good thing. Seriously, though, a Federer vs. Tsong match? Fed would murder him. I'd root for Tsonga, mind you, but it would be in vain.


That's why Tsonga in the final is good for the game of tennis. I'd hate to see bumrooter style in the final. Now we're guaranteed a cracker of a final between attacking style players Fed/Nole vs Tsonga. :D

Well, here's another player for the Tennis Mafia to keep off of Nadull's side of non-clay draws.

No Nole, No Blake, No Ferrer, No Nalbandian, No Berdych.

Can I just ask: how did Muzza manage to bagel him? :tape:

the exact same way rafa would have done it in the fourth, had he taken those break points in the third game of the third set. tsonga played well, sure, but there were some crucial points that could've turned the match upside down.

I don't get why this is such a shock for everyone.

Sure I expected Rafa to find a way through here but more down to Tsonga not handling the occasion.

And given how many humiliations Rafa has been given on hardcourts lately, this doesn't really surprise me much at all.

tsonga played very well, nadal hit 13 winners in 25 games if a top woman did that she get called pathetic, and thats what nadal was today pathetic, short shots, total defense, no imagination, no flare and didn't try to realy attack even when he was losing. tsonga played the attacking tennis you need to against nadal.

i think tsonga has done realy well reaching the final but hes had it his own way hes played 4 very good/decent players trouble is that all 4 (murray, gasguet, youzhny and nadal) play a defensive style of tennis. none of them are anywhere as near as attacking as tsonga thus playing into his hands, all 4 players have said here have a go and to tsongas credit hes gone for it and made it. it will be an intresting final if he plays federer because he isn't gonna spend the match defending or 10 feet behind the baseline, how will tsonga cope with someone coming at him?

well Nadal never has great variation and imagination in his game, the little he has is against players such like Serra,Simon,etc :o

Sam Warburg took more games off Tsonga than Nadal.

and Garcia Lopez too :d

I liked that one - Tsonga wins by K.O :)

Don Clayhote out for the count :awww:

did people really think nadal could win i mean tsonga destroyed a player capable of destroying nadal like nothing

Well, here's another player for the Tennis Mafia to keep off of Nadull's side of non-clay draws.

No Nole, No Blake, No Ferrer, No Nalbandian, No Berdych.
No Youzhny, no Murray (Nadal may win but will kill himself doing so), no Moya (ditto)

The list goes on.

Nadal may not have played all that badly for him - although he did miss a number of sitters here and there. Smash into the net. Pass going long. Reflex volley sent way wide.

He did, however, play bad hardcourt tennis.

He continues to play bad hardcourt tennis.

Well, he will always continue to play bad hardcourt tennis. That's his game. His wins on hardcourt (and I'm not talking about this tournament, where his opposition has been utter crap and where he comprehensively lost to the first good player he played - I'm talking about the good ones as well) come about as a result of him being a very good player and not from him playing good hardcourt tennis. He will get a lot of balls back and make the opponent work for the win, no doubt, but he never imposes himself.

Too good Tsonga, you fucking animal.

Well, here's another player for the Tennis Mafia to keep off of Nadull's side of non-clay draws.

No Nole, No Blake, No Ferrer, No Nalbandian, No Berdych.

No Youzhny, No Tsonga... :lol:

well Nadal never has great variation and imagination in his game, the little he has is against players such like Serra,Simon,etc :o


yeah but down 2 sets and a break surely you try something different, serve and volleys, slice, attack anything cus playing the way he was playing he was getting hammered and in the end the result was inevitable! ;)

That was a 2nd round KO by Ali.

Well both Fed & Nole have been put on notice what to expect in the final. I think Djoko would get beat for sure. The only 1 man who could whether the Tsonga storm and come out on top is Fed. He's not a legend for no reason.

I think you're right. Federer has done this many times, stomping out the fire of red-hot player, and in the current case, I don't think Djokovic would be able to do it. Tsonga has more power from the ground, as good of a serve, and is a better mover. The only advantage Djokovic might have is consistency, though Tsonga played incredibly patient tonight. Djokovic may be able to bait Tsonga into error with extended rallies, but even if Djokovic can absorb the consistent pace of Tsonga, with those extended rallies comes a tired Djokovic, and then he'll start to suffer.

I think only Fed can disrupt the kind of play that Tsonga showed tonight.

---

With respect to the match, just wow! I hadn't seen too much of Tsonga, thanks to EPSN2's early exit the other night, but he played an incredible variety of power and control, and his touch was remarkable. Nadal is always susceptible on hard when playing guys with power, but Nadal will often wait them out. He made something like 4 unforced errors in the first two sets, but Tsonga didn't let up and Nadal retreated further and further behind the baseline. By the end of the third, Rafa was returning second serves 4-5 feet behind the baseline.

Again, Rafa has not made the big adjustments to his hardcourt game. He's one of the strongest mental guys on tour, and every time he takes the court, you have to think "How is someone going to get three sets from him," but his decision to play defensively and not take bigger risks is what could keep him from winning a hardcourt slam. I think he's young enough to make the adjustments, so I don't see why, now having made a semi, he couldn't push a little harder for one or two successful runs in his career.

Anyway, I'd love to see a Federer-Tsonga final. I don't think Djokovic will keep it interesting if Tsonga plays as cleanly as he did today, but I think Fed has the variety and tactical knowhow to disrupt Tsonga's rhythm and the ability to trade outright winners. I think it would be a fantastic match.

I wont say a fluke
but he played out of his skin today,
the once in a life time flawlwess tennis, a good player can have
remains to be seen he will fall back down to earth in the final
regardless hope he can back it up this year
rafa didnt play badly, but was clearly overpowered and out played
have to admit the truth
let JWT have his 15 minutes of fame so to speak

Amazing.
He destroyed Nadal.

the exact same way rafa would have done it in the fourth, had he taken those break points in the third game of the third set. tsonga played well, sure, but there were some crucial points that could've turned the match upside down.

HOw well was Murray handling Tsonga's serve?

Well, he will always continue to play bad hardcourt tennis. That's his game. His wins on hardcourt (and I'm not talking about this tournament, where his opposition has been utter crap and where he comprehensively lost to the first good player he played - I'm talking about the good ones as well) come about as a result of him being a very good player and not from him playing good hardcourt tennis. He will get a lot of balls back and make the opponent work for the win, no doubt, but he never imposes himself.
Indeed.

Nadal is more dependent on the luck of the draw than any top player I have seen, excepting Pete Sampras at Roland Garros.

Amazing performance from Tsonga. Most impressive tonight, for me, was his mental strength. Congrats. I enjoyed this match.

yeah but down 2 sets and a break surely you try something different, serve and volleys, slice, attack anything cus playing the way he was playing he was getting hammered and in the end the result was inevitable! ;)

HELLO it's Nadal. His game plan is hit a high swirly forehand and when that doesn't work hit more high swirly forehand.

Awesome Tsonga. I know he could be good but not that good. His learning curve is impressive.

Remember that he made 2 good runs in Wimbledon and US Open, 4th round each time while being unseeded, and fell in straight against Gasquet and Nadal, each time because he was a bit impressed (first deep run in a slam, first time on a central court). He's not coming out of nowhere.

But still, it's his first ATP final, so it's a huge surprise as only the australian open can offer.

The previous surprises are different

Gonzalez : he was older and already a marquee player. Not a huge surprise like the other. I thought he would do better though after his run

Schuettler, Johansson, Clement, Enqvist : two real surprises, older as well (slightly for Clement).

Baghdatis : I think he's the one to be compared with. Same generation, charismatic, talented but stopped by injuries in their teenage years. I expect Jo to be at least a solid top15 player in his career. I think he'll be a bit better than that, and I think the same for Marcos.

all those dropshots...damn

Tsongaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Rogiman ?? mate? probably running around the streets celebrating naked :lol:

Gasquet should not be feeling so bad now :)

Tsonga showed Nadal how tennis is played :lol:

tsonga played very well, nadal hit 13 winners in 25 games if a top woman did that she get called pathetic, and thats what nadal was today pathetic, short shots, total defense, no imagination, no flare and didn't try to realy attack even when he was losing. tsonga played the attacking tennis you need to against nadal.

i think tsonga has done realy well reaching the final but hes had it his own way hes played 4 very good/decent players trouble is that all 4 (murray, gasguet, youzhny and nadal) play a defensive style of tennis. none of them are anywhere as near as attacking as tsonga thus playing into his hands, all 4 players have said here have a go and to tsongas credit hes gone for it and made it. it will be an intresting final if he plays federer because he isn't gonna spend the match defending or 10 feet behind the baseline, how will tsonga cope with someone coming at him?

Youzhny plays defensive style tennis? Sure, whatever you say... :retard:

Couldn't agree more. We can focus on Nadal's shortcomings, but that's too easy and it's not fair--a star arrived. Tsonga's serving was deadly.

Amazing performance from Tsonga. Most impressive tonight, for me, was his mental strength. Congrats. I enjoyed this match.

so? gonzalez destroyed nadal, hewitt and haas during his run to the final in melbourne last year; obviously it had nothing to do with his performance over the year. as roger said: starting in the quarters of slams, it's all down to day form. that's all.

plus i didn't compare baghdatis' game with tsongas, i was just talking about their probable rankings resemblance (in my opinion).

None of those matches even come close to what was seen tonight.

And Tsonga's ranking will be better.

You are wrong.

:bigwave:

HELLO it's Nadal. His game plan is hit a high swirly forehand and when that doesn't work hit more high swirly forehand.

yeah i know but its so sad that the #2 player in the world is so 1 dimensional and even worse dosen't even try to change it!

At first I was rooting for Tsonga simple because i wanted Federer to get an easier final, but then, i rooted for Tsonga because his tennis was so incredibly brilliant!! breathtaking.

and lmao at my dad, saying his style of badminton is the same as tsonga's.

yeah i know but its so sad that the #2 player in the world is so 1 dimensional and even worse dosen't even try to change it!

That's just it. I don't think he can. He doesn't have the variety or skills. Just like Roddick will never be multidimensional. :shrug:

Probably will get beaten by Fed in straight again anyway...

To think that rafa could have drawn this guy in rd1 :)

At first I was rooting for Tsonga simple because i wanted Federer to get an easier final, but then, i rooted for Tsonga because his tennis was so incredibly brilliant!! breathtaking.

and lmao at my dad, saying his style of badminton is the same as tsonga's.

Your dad's an amazing player. :worship:

Youzhny plays defensive style tennis? Sure, whatever you say... :retard:

hes not all out attack and against tsonga he played very nervy and defensively, there were very few ripped backhands which hes capable of doing time after time. ;)

Rogiman ?? mate? probably running around the streets celebrating naked :lol:Unfortunately I'm at work.... but I consider taking my clothes off anyway :spit:


:banana: :banana: :banana:

Amazing that Tsonga was still playing challengers half a year ago

hes not all out attack and against tsonga he played very nervy and defensively, there were very few ripped backhands which hes capable of doing time after time. ;)

I agree that he wasn't at his best against Tsonga and I think that match could have been a real cracker had he been, but surely you cannot say he plays "defensive style tennis" just because he is a little off in a particular match? Overall - if you judge by a sample of say ten matches -, it's very clear that Youzhny is an offensive player and that he is excellent at keeping the pace up from both wings.

Thank you, Tsonga, for saving the game of tennis from a big disgrace :worship:

That's just it. I don't think he can. He doesn't have the variety or skills. Just like Roddick will never be multidimensional. :shrug:

I don't think those two are comparable. I have seen Rafa take the ball earlier, stand closer to the baseline, hit the ball deeper and flatter. And the difference in his results when he does that as opposed to when he doesn't is astounding at times. He says this, he knows this. And yet...it doesn't happen consistently. I swear he's like a turtle out there sometimes the way he goes back in his shell when things don't go quite right. That's more mental than anything else, IMO.

Impressive play from Tsonga - nothing more to say.

That's just it. I don't think he can. He doesn't have the variety or skills. Just like Roddick will never be multidimensional. :shrug:

exactly, Natuaral Rafa game is just not based about that, but in his moving/foot work,intensity and massive topspin and big fighting qualities , nothing about variety :o

I agree that he wasn't at his best against Tsonga and I think that match could have been a real cracker had he been, but surely you cannot say he plays "defensive style tennis" just because he is a little off in a particular match? Overall - if you judge by a sample of say ten matches -, it's very clear that Youzhny is an offensive player and that he is excellent at keeping the pace up from both wings.

Indeed. Youzhny was just to casual against Tsonga. He didn't know how to handle him and his serve.

Too good from Tsonga :hatoff:. I was impressed by the way he stayed focused and didn't let go. He played out of his mind and nothing could go wrong for him. Amazing touch at the net! There wasn't much Nadal could do really. Still he has improved his AO result. :yeah:

And so the trend of a surprise finalist continues at the AO. I hope he has what it takes to become a surprise winner as well :).


You've got to laugh at the haters though. The take home message for them is 'the pig lost' not 'a young talented player reached the best result in his career to date displaying great abilities'.

exactly, Natuaral Rafa game is just not based about that, but in his moving/foot work,intensity and massive topspin and big fighting qualities , nothing about variety :o

Exactly. Rafa's style is purely based on athleticism and running for the ball.

Thank you, Tsonga, for saving the game of tennis from a big disgrace :worship:

anyway Federer and DJOKOV WOULD had beaten Nadal in a final, well not 100% sure but highly likely

There wasn't much Nadal could do really. Still he has improved his AO result. :yeah:The big illusion created by the draw :lol:

Fucking immense!!! :worship:

What a dream run for Tsonga.

anyway Federer and DJOKOV WOULD had beaten Nadal in a final, well not 100% sure but highly likely

Yes, but I'm sure if you asked Rafa (and later, the player who loses in the second Semi) if they had a choice between losing in the Semis and losing in the Final...

and suddenly Murray doesn't look that bad

I don't think those two are comparable. I have seen Rafa take the ball earlier, stand closer to the baseline, hit the ball deeper. And the difference in his results when he does that as opposed to when he doesn't is astounding at times. He says this, he knows this. And yet...it doesn't happen consistently. That's more mental than anything else, IMO.

The difference is astounding because he does this against shit players. He simply is not good enough at it to do it consistently against a guy like Tsonga (or Youzhny or Berdych or Blake or Federer or...). That's not his style of play. It would result in him missing too much and them winning even easier (remember the fourth set against Youzhny in the US Open, for insance, when he started to go for winners himself and ended up hitting a ton of crazy "non-Nadal-like" errors). People who think this will change are seriously deluded. In terms of completely changing one's game, Nadal is nowhere near young. He is waaaaaaaaaaaay too old. Give me an example of a top tier pro player who completely changed his game (be it overall or at one surface in particular) at the age of 21-22.

I agree that he wasn't at his best against Tsonga and I think that match could have been a real cracker had he been, but surely you cannot say he plays "defensive style tennis" just because he is a little off in a particular match? Overall - if you judge by a sample of say ten matches -, it's very clear that Youzhny is an offensive player and that he is excellent at keeping the pace up from both wings.

i didn't mean he was an out and out defensive player just on that day he was timid, hit alot of short shots and didn't rip the ball like i hoped he would (im a youzhny fan, but he was dissapointing against tsonga). anyway my point still stands that tsonga still hasn't played a quality player thats gone after him realy looked to dominate, if federer makes the final he will do this and it will be intresting to see how tsonga copes when being under pressure, not be able to swing freely when he likes.

Not that unexpected.
You don't beat players like Youznhy,Gasquet and Murray if you are not a seriously good player.
Nadal was totally owned!:devil:

Another Australian Open surprize this year :D

Let's see if he can put a fight in the final and cause Fed or Djoko some trouble.

and suddenly Murray doesn't look that bad

he is still not the real deal. overhyped deluxe

The big illusion created by the draw :lol:

who's to say tsonga would have been able to pull off such a performance without being on a roll like he is atm? let's not forget: he lost matches vs. nieminen and seppi this year. he wasn't prepared that well, to be honest, although he took down an off hewitt. the murray match was decisive for him.

i think nadal would've worn him down if this had been round 1. tsonga without confidence is a victim of nadal's endurance.

he is still not the real deal. overhyped deluxe

sure he does. tsonga in round 1 can't be compared to the tsonga nadal faced.

who's to say tsonga would have been able to pull off such a performance without being on a roll like he is atm? let's not forget: he lost matches vs. nieminen and seppi this year. he wasn't prepared that well, to be honest, although he took down an off hewitt. the murray match was decisive for him.

i think nadal would've worn him down if this had been round 1. tsonga without confidence is a victim of nadal's endurance.Still doesn't change the fact that Nadal is not a better player than last year, that SF 'run' ( :retard: ) is a result of a fucked up draw.

WOW That was an awesome display of tennis

Amazing! Tsonga made Rafa look like an amateur!

But do you think that his two days off would affect him negatively? I mean, he might lose his rhythm.

sure he does. tsonga in round 1 can't be compared to the tsonga nadal faced.

i meant that murray is the most overhyped player on tour that guy isn't that good.

Unfortunately I'm at work.... but I consider taking my clothes off anyway :spit:


:banana: :banana: :banana:http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/spezial/Fool/alc.gif

Tsonga played so well, Rafa had the wrong tactic from the first ball, the short ball and the non starter serve was just not good enough. Rafa has beaten Tsonga before so what did he think was going to happen. Rafa needs to think about how he plays his oppnents that was not a match Rafa couldn't win he just didin't play it right and begun to try something far to lat even when he tried he couldn't keep it up. Again this should be a lesson learned. The only way to get better is for other players the shine a torch on your weaknesses

Just what Mens Tennis needs. A shake up. An awesome display in every aspect by Tsonga. Allez! Allez! Allez!

Muzza still came closest to beating Wilfy

Still doesn't change the fact that Nadal is not a better player than last year, that SF 'run' ( :retard: ) is a result of a fucked up draw.

this just prove that 99% of atp players are a bunch of clowns and chokers

http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/spezial/Fool/alc.gif:hug: :hug: Today is a big day. The day tennis prevailed :)

Muzza still came closest to beating Wilfy

:spit: Muzza bageling Tsonga and Gasquet taking a set from him end up being not bad at all

rafa :hysteric: ....you'll get over it though :hug:


didn't watch it but JWT :eek: hope you can play like that in the finals

Too good from Tsonga :hatoff:. I was impressed by the way he stayed focused and didn't let go. He played out of his mind and nothing could go wrong for him. Amazing touch at the net! There wasn't much Nadal could do really. Still he has improved his AO result. :yeah:

And so the trend of a surprise finalist continues at the AO. I hope he has what it takes to become a surprise winner as well :).


You've got to laugh at the haters though. The take home message for them is 'the pig lost' not 'a young talented player reached the best result in his career to date displaying great abilities'.

Well, I think the deal is that most people feel that Nadal got this far mainly because of his draw (it is certainly hard to find a counter-argument). I mean, if he had Nieminen in the quarters last year and then Gonzalez in the semis, he would have gone out in the semis that year too. It's not like this semifinal run is a result of him doing anything differently on the court. It was the way it always is with Nadal on hardcourt - he beats the not-so-good players with relative ease. but as soon as he is faced with a power hitter that plays well, he is out. This happens time and time again. He could have just as well met Tsonga earlier and had Tsonga played the same way (very likely, as he has ben splendid throughout the tournament), he would have been out in an earlier stage. What I am saying is that this semifinal run (unlike - for example - last year's Wimbledon final run, where Nadal actually had to beat tough opposition) is a result of a VERY easy draw and not of Nadal doing anything better than he used to. Again, it's not Nadal's fault that he had a very easy draw, but that does not change the fact that he did. Thus, this result is only an improvement on paper. Hence, it is understandable that he is not getting too much credit for it. Mind you, I I certainly belong to the "delighted that the pig lost" group, but had Nadal beaten say Berdych and Youzhny before going out to Tsonga in the semis, I think he would get much more recognition for a semifinal run (at least he would from me), even though a lot of people would still be happy that he lost. With this run, he has basically proved nothing except that he will get into the semis if he faces no top 20 players or power hitters who have a good day - and we all already knew that.

Absolutely awesome from Tsonga. Congratulations to the guy for another superb victory and scalp, and he thoroughly deserves his place in the final, and also in the top 20 in the rankings next week.

The Year of the TSONGA!!!

i didn't mean he was an out and out defensive player just on that day he was timid, hit alot of short shots and didn't rip the ball like i hoped he would (im a youzhny fan, but he was dissapointing against tsonga). anyway my point still stands that tsonga still hasn't played a quality player thats gone after him realy looked to dominate, if federer makes the final he will do this and it will be intresting to see how tsonga copes when being under pressure, not be able to swing freely when he likes.

Yeah, now I see where you're coming from and you're absolutely right. I just reacted to the wording, but now that I get what you mean, I couldn't agree more.

Well, I think the deal is that most people feel that Nadal got this far mainly because of his draw (it is certainly hard to find a counter-argument). I mean, if he had Nieminen in the quarters last year and then Gonzalez in the semis, he would have gone out in the semis that year too. It's not like this semifinal run is a result of him doing anything differently on the court. It was the way it always is with Nadal on hardcourt - he beats the not-so-good players with relative ease. but as soon as he is faced with a power hitter that plays well, he is out. This happens time and time again. He could have just as well met Tsonga earlier and had Tsonga played the same way (very likely, as he has ben splendid throughout the tournament), he would have been out in an earlier stage. What I am saying is that this semifinal run (unlike - for example - last year's Wimbledon final run, where Nadal actually had to beat tough opposition) is a result of a VERY easy draw and not of Nadal doing anything better than he used to. Again, it's not Nadal's fault that he had a very easy draw, but that does not change the fact that he did. Thus, this result is only an improvement on paper. Hence, it is understandable that he is not getting too much credit for it. Mind you, I I certainly belong to the "delighted that the pig lost" group, but had Nadal beaten say Berdych and Youzhny before going out to Tsonga in the semis, I think he would get much more recognition for a semifinal run (at least he would from me), even though a lot of people would still be happy that he lost. With this run, he has basically proved nothing except that he will get into the semis if he faces no top 20 players or power hitters who have a good day - and we all already knew that.
:yeah:

i meant that murray is the most overhyped player on tour that guy isn't that good.

The most overhyped player on tour is the player in your avatar, you mug.

If Tsonga can keep this level in the final, there's nothing Fed/Djoko can do. Even Fed has never played a match this good.

The most overhyped player on tour is the player in your avatar, you mug.
:yeah:

Let's see, who's the one just outside the top 10?

And who's the one hoardes of people still believe should win Grand Slams when he's outside the top 60?

It's a headscratcher.

awesome Tsonga :clap2:

Rafa :awww:

Muzza started all this by waking the sleeping giant :devil:


Muzza still came closest to beating Wilfy

Let it go Mikey, the tournament is almost over :lol:.


The big illusion created by the draw :lol:

You can say whatever you want but in the end Nadal's overall perfomance on HCs is pretty good and consistent considering his style. He usually loses only to players on a hot streak and playing great on the day.

Amazing win!!!!!!!!!

But, I doubt whether he can continue this awesome form against Fed/Djoko

If Tsonga can keep this level in the final, there's nothing Fed/Djoko can do. Even Fed has never played a match this good.

Does the name FedFan_2007 imply that you only became a Fed fan in 2007? I ask because it's hard (if not impossible) for me to understand how else you could be saying this. Watch the 2006 TMC final against Blake and tell me again Federer has never played a match this good. :retard:

I didn't recognize Rafa today, he was just thoroughly overwhelmed. He perhaps won two or three passing shots, that's to say nothing.

The most overhyped player on tour is the player in your avatar, you mug.

how can he be the most overhyped when he have already won 2 slams and been runner up in slams 2 times when murray haven't done anything at all :confused:

Does the name FedFan_2007 imply that you only became a Fed fan in 2007? I ask because it's hard (if not impossible) for me to understand how else you could be saying this. Watch the 2006 TMC final against Blake and tell me again Federer has never played a match this good. :retard:
It's bandwagontastic, folks!

No-one has EVER played better than this in ANY match ANYWHERE EVER EVER EVER!

Federer or Djokovic might as well both default now.

Paging sense of perspective!

Sense of perspective to the Tsonga won thread.

STAT.

You can say whatever you want but in the end Nadal's overall perfomance on HCs is pretty good and consistent considering his style. He usually loses only to players on a hot streak and playing great on the day.

Certainly, but again, this isn't exactly news, is it? The point I'm trying to make is that this result has showed us absolutely nothing that we already didn't know. I'll say this again - it's only an improvement on paper.

and suddenly Murray doesn't look that bad

And so Gasquet.

I think Nadal could have lost in the first round if his qualifier opponent was Haase.
Nadal is always shaky in first round matches.

Certainly, but again, this isn't exactly news, is it? The point I'm trying to make is that this result has showed us absolutely nothing that we already didn't know. I'll say this again - it's only an improvement on paper.

exactly, hes gone futher than before but not played better than before, the latter is much more important when you come up against a player playing great tennis!

Certainly, but again, this isn't exactly news, is it? The point I'm trying to make is that this result has showed us absolutely nothing that we already didn't know. I'll say this again - it's only an improvement on paper.

Well, fair enough, but it's better than no improvement anywhere, IMO.

You can say whatever you want but in the end Nadal's overall perfomance on HCs is pretty good and consistent considering his style. He usually loses only to players on a hot streak and playing great on the day.

I see what you're saying?

Yet, isn't it funny how there's always a player on a hot streak playing great on the day at the back end of a slam when they've already won 4 or 5 matches? :confused:

Come on!
Do you remember Fit Fat rolling over Djoko, Nadal, Federer at the end of last season? Where is Fit Fat now? Where will Tsonga be at the end of the year?

Respect to a player who has beaten Sampras Nº1 points, and respect to a more than 3 years #2. Same age (Tsonga older i think) and kind of different achievements.

Tsonga played perfect and I was amazed the way his body covers the net...

Congratulations for Frenchies fans... I hope this one is for real!

Let it go Mikey, the tournament is almost over :lol:.I cant - Muzza created this monster :lol:

looking back.. how bad a draw can you get :help:

Muzza done something wrong in a previous life

:worship:

What I'd like to know of any stats people: has anyone won a grand slam as their first career title?

I see what you're saying?

Yet, isn't it funny how there's always a player on a hot streak playing great on the day at the back end of a slam when they've already won 4 or 5 matches? :confused:

Rafa does run into a lot of players on a hot streak, but it's no coincidence that a lot of players seem to play the match of their lives against Rafa on HC. Not coincidence at all...

exactly, hes gone futher than before but not played better than before, the latter is much more important when you come up against a player playing great tennis!

The highlighted part sums up what I was saying perfectly. :worship:

I cant - Muzza created this monster :lol:

looking back.. how bad a draw can you get :help:

Muzza done something wrong in a previous life

why? tsonga wasn't hot going into the tournament, murray made him hot. a nadal/murray-mix is the perfect hitting partner for tsonga's style of play.

Well, I think the deal is that most people feel that Nadal got this far mainly because of his draw (it is certainly hard to find a counter-argument). I mean, if he had Nieminen in the quarters last year and then Gonzalez in the semis, he would have gone out in the semis that year too. It's not like this semifinal run is a result of him doing anything differently on the court. It was the way it always is with Nadal on hardcourt - he beats the not-so-good players with relative ease. but as soon as he is faced with a power hitter that plays well, he is out. This happens time and time again. He could have just as well met Tsonga earlier and had Tsonga played the same way (very likely, as he has ben splendid throughout the tournament), he would have been out in an earlier stage. What I am saying is that this semifinal run (unlike - for example - last year's Wimbledon final run, where Nadal actually had to beat tough opposition) is a result of a VERY easy draw and not of Nadal doing anything better than he used to. Again, it's not Nadal's fault that he had a very easy draw, but that does not change the fact that he did. Thus, this result is only an improvement on paper. Hence, it is understandable that he is not getting too much credit for it. Mind you, I I certainly belong to the "delighted that the pig lost" group, but had Nadal beaten say Berdych and Youzhny before going out to Tsonga in the semis, I think he would get much more recognition for a semifinal run (at least he would from me), even though a lot of people would still be happy that he lost. With this run, he has basically proved nothing except that he will get into the semis if he faces no top 20 players or power hitters who have a good day - and we all already knew that.

Certainly, but again, this isn't exactly news, is it? The point I'm trying to make is that this result has showed us absolutely nothing that we already didn't know. I'll say this again - it's only an improvement on paper.


:confused: I don't disagree with you at all. I never said I expected people to give credit to Nadal for his SF run. I was commenting on the usual hater attitude which is about him losing rather than about celebrating the worthy achievements of another player. The reaction by those people would have been the same if Tsonga had won playing ugly or if Nadal had reached the SF beating difficult opponents. (let's not forget that many haters still don't accept that he deserved his spot in the Wimbledon 07 finals :lol: )

Well, fair enough, but it's better than no improvement anywhere, IMO.

Yeah, but that's faulty reasoning, because if you agree that the improvement is an exogenous factor (and judging by the "fair enough" part above, I think you do), then what you are basically saying is that it's good that he got an easier draw than last year. Again, it's good if you are a fan and want him to gain more ranking points, but in terms of his development as a player, it is neither good nor bad. It's just chance.

Rafa does run into a lot of players on a hot streak, but it's no coincidence that a lot of players seem to play the match of their lives against Rafa on HC. Not coincidence at all...

I think Roddick is more on the top.

What I'd like to know of any stats people: has anyone won a grand slam as their first career title?Guga is the most obvious one

Roddick has nothing special except from his serve and Rafa is just heavy topspin, fitness and tight angles. Federer, Djokovic, Tsonga (as much as I have witnessed) and a few others have a much better overall game than them.

Wow, that was an awesome performance from Tsonga. Nadal was basically a spectator in this match and had no control whatsoever in the outcome of the match, completely overpowered. Tsonga hit some amazing drop volleys throughout the match and did extremely well to keep up his level for the course of the match. It must be a great moment for him right now and I hope he can continue playing this loose and maintain the same quality in the final.

:confused: I don't disagree with you at all. I never said I expected people to give credit to Nadal for his SF run. I was commenting on the usual hater attitude which is about him losing rather than about celebrating the worthy achievements of another player. The reaction by those people would have been the same if Tsonga had won playing ugly or if Nadal had reached the SF beating difficult opponents. (let's not forget that many haters still don't accept that he deserved his spot in the Wimbledon 07 finals :lol: )

Sorry, I must have misinterpreted your post. As for what you're saying now... Well, if you cannot stand watching Nadal's tennis, you will always be happy when he goes out. I think this is applicable to most players. I mean, the commotion here when Cañas beat Federer twice had very little to do with Cañas. I don't consider myself a hater (I certainly don't like Nadal as a tennis player (as a person, I don't care one way or the other about him - or about any other player, for that matter), but I like to think I can make a level-headed judgement on matters regarding him) and I am always happy when he loses. I don't have to like who he loses to in order to be (though in this case I do). I don't think this is necessarily a "hater attitude".

Yeah, but that's faulty reasoning, because if you agree that the improvement is an exogenous factor (and judging by the "fair enough" part above, I think you do), then what you are basically saying is that it's good that he got an easier draw than last year. Again, it's good if you are a fan and want him to gain more ranking points, but in terms of his development as a player, it is neither good nor bad. It's just chance.

I don't particularly care about Ranking points, but I'm sure Rafa does and that's what the sport is measured by, so there you have it.

But anyway, I would much rather Rafa have some big epiphany and suddenly start to play better on HC, rather than just play badly and gain points. But he's not doing that, IMO. He's more staying the same. Which will cause him to go backwards eventually, but for the time being it's better than losing points. And I do actually think he has improved in some areas.

An easy draw always sounds good. And it is good for the short term (although I don't know that a SF result is short term), but in the long run it can be a very bad thing. We all knew that.

Nadal can beat any player on clay but loses badly almost every time he meets a good hot player on hard courts. He's just not made for the hard courts.

video, last games of the match
http://ee.meie.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=9b8549b90aedfd5c305f

Doesn't Tsonga remind anybody else on an on-form Safin but with a better forehand and better defense?

Doesn't Tsonga remind anybody else on an on-form Safin but with a better forehand and better defense?

exactly. :) i pointed that out in the other thread as well (the one saying that rafa usually loses once facing stiff competition on hardcourt): his crushing ground strokes, the way he moves, the way he takes it to his opponent when in the zone, his general antics, his kinda clumsiness displayed between rallies etc.

The page count on this thread is mounting...

Anyway, what really impressed me about Tsonga today, besides the high level of tennis he played, was his calmness and composure. Not in a million years would I have thought he would come out firing like he did, keeping his cool at clutch moments, and going for his shots at the right time. Even in the third set when it seemed realistic that he would give the set away and Jake Garner made TWO VERY bad calls (in JW's first service game, down a BP, he saved a serve out wide which Nadal netted on the return, Garner overruled and said it was out, Tsonga challenged and it was actually in, so Garner made them REPLAY the point instead of going back to deuce), Tsonga came back with three solid serves and salvaged the game. This mental power and ability to control your emotions and pre-match anxiety and FORCE yourself to deliver your best under pressure without getting carried away or overthinking each and every single shot is, in my opinion, Tsonga's most impressive aspect about his victory tonight. He was simply superior in every way possible and rightfully earned his place in the final. :hatoff:

I see what you're saying?

Yet, isn't it funny how there's always a player on a hot streak playing great on the day at the back end of a slam when they've already won 4 or 5 matches? :confused:

Well I think the fact that he almost always loses to the eventual champion or finalist (not considering retirements) says it all.



I cant - Muzza created this monster :lol:

looking back.. how bad a draw can you get :help:

Muzza done something wrong in a previous life


:lol: :hug: Don't worry, Muzza will be back; it's only the beginning of the season.

Well I think the fact that he almost always loses to the eventual champion or finalist (not considering retirements) says it all.






:lol: :hug: Don't worry, Muzza will be back; it's only the beginning of the season.
It says to me that while someone like Federer sets out to disrupt someone who's on a hot streak (Baghdatis, Gonzalez, Djokovic, Nadal), Nadal tends to fold before them.

Doesn't Tsonga remind anybody else on an on-form Safin but with a better forehand and better defense?

the way he hit his backhand today and played so fast inside the baseline, serving and returning big remember a little of safin but he still showed more variety

It says to me that while someone like Federer sets out to disrupt someone who's on a hot streak (Baghdatis, Gonzalez, Djokovic, Nadal), Nadal tends to fold before them.

Yes but nobody's trying to compare Nadal and Federer on hardcourts here.