Tsonga, Berdych kick off their comebacks in strong fashion

HIGHLIGHTS: Daniil Medvedev d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Brisbane semifinals

If there were ever two players that would be justified in lamenting the dominance of the ATP’s “Big 4” at the Grand Slams through the years, it would be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych.

Tsonga, who reached the Australian Open final in 2008, and 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Berdych have been mainstays of the top 10 for years on the strength of winning titles on multiple surfaces and reaching major semifinals, but falling short of advancing to another final at the game’s biggest stages. While they’ve been able to defeat Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray at the Grand Slams, beating two or more of them in the same tournament has held Berdych and Tsonga back.

On the north side of 30 and returning from injuries that sidelined them for significant portions of 2017, the two kicked off their 2018 campaigns this week with expectations surely at a minimum, knowing the tennis season is a long one and that simply returning to action injury-free is an accomplishment in itself.

The two veterans, though, didn’t disappoint on the court and showed that when healthy, they’re still contenders.

In Doha, Berdych—currently ranked 71 after being forced to shut down last season early after surgery—reached the final with wins over Philipp Kohlschreiber, Fernando Verdasco, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Marco Cecchinato along the way. The Czech failed to reach a final in 2018 for the first time in 15 years, but while he got back on track by that measurement, his title drought continued as Roberto Bautista Agut stopped him for the championship.

Meanwhile, Brisbane, Australia, was the latest stop on Tsonga’s comeback from knee surgery. Working his way back on the court at the end of last year, the Frenchman was most recently seen in the Davis Cup final a few weeks ago on clay. Hard courts, though, have long-suited the former world No. 4’s game and this week, he showed why.

Facing the young Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis first up, Tsonga won through in straight sets. With Nadal withdrawing before the tournament, he next faced the Spaniard’s replacement in the draw, Taro Daniel and posted another fairly routine victory.

Next up was one of 2018’s breakthrough young talents, Alex De Minaur. Already renowned for his speed and fight, De Minaur found himself on the business side of a two-set defeat at the hands of Tsonga. His inspired run through the tournament came to an end at the hands of Daniil Medvedev, who led the tour in hard-court wins last year. Having entered Brisbane outside of the top 200, Tsonga’s matches over the week will serve him well as the Australian Open approaches.

Berdych and Tsonga have had success in the past in Melbourne, with the playing conditions suiting their aggressive games. Both of them will be unseeded at the first major of the year, and if they’re able to maintain the form they displayed in the first week of the season, they could make life difficult for any higher-ranked player they encounter, perhaps using that as a springboard to secure a place once again among the game’s elite.

**Hopman Cup (Sat - Sat 12.29 - 1.5)

•    Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber headline the Hopman Cup. Watch live coverage on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Saturday 12/29 at 9:00pm ET.**

**ATP/WTA Brisbane (Sun - Sun 12.30 - 1.6)

•    Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens open their 2019 seasons in Brisbane. Live coverage from three courts begins on Tennis Channel Plus on Sunday 12/30 at 8:00pm ET.**

**WTA Auckland (Sun - Sun 12.30 - 1.6)

•    Catch the action from the ASB Classic including Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. Live coverage begins on Tennis Channel Plus on Sunday 12/30 at 8:00pm ET.**

**WTA Shenzhen (Sat - Sat 12.29 - 1.5)

•    Watch first to last ball action from the Shenzhen Open featuring Maria Sharapova and Jelena Ostapenko beginning Saturday 12/29 at 11:00pm ET.**

**ATP Pune (Mon - Sat 12.31 - 1.5)

•    Watch Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic and Hyeon Chung live from Pune starting Monday 12/31 at 6:30am ET.**