Today we talked about Caroline Wozniacki disappointing at a major yet again, and rightfully so. But we should also talk about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a man who has winning shots, a winning attitude, winning experience; so on, so forth. But yet again, after making believers out of many, he doesn't win when you think he should.
That tease was taken to the highest level in today's third-rounder with Stanislas Wawrinka, which Tsonga lost after holding a two-set lead (4-6, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-3). He also led the third set 3-1, but when Wawrinka pulled out the tiebreaker, the Frenchman deflated. So did the Chatrier crowd, which didn't recover until the fifth set, with Tsonga reeling and Wawrinka showing off his entire arsenal. The Swiss played well today, but it was only when Tsonga started slipping that you saw how well Wawrinka was hitting the ball. Not just with the one-handed backhand, but on serve (a slithering second-serve ace gave him a second match point) and with his forehand—on Wawrinka's third match point, he moved forward near the net and put enough spin on a ball to send it cross-court and dip inside the corner just in time. And just like that, Wawrinka had completed his comeback. It always seems quick when someone turns the tables and wins the final three sets of a five-setter, but today's rally seemed even faster than usual. Both men contributed to that sprint.
Three years ago, Tsonga became a tennis-household name after reaching the Australian Open final. I think we're still enamored by his fleeting moments of magnificence, such as that run, rather than accepting the realities of his shortcomings. But there's still time, as his opponent in that match, Novak Djokovic, is proving.
—Ed McGrogan