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This is my tennis blog, Lefty Advantage. Tennis is my biggest passion in life and I started this site to discuss the great game. I mainly follow the career of Roger Federer, but I truly love watching all tennis, whether it be the final of a Grand Slam
or a junior tournament on the other side of the world.

I have played tennis for 13 years. If you ever met me, I could talk your head off about all things tennis for hours on end if you would let me. Welcome, and enjoy the writing!

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Federer Falls to Tsonga in French Open

In his 36th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, Roger Federer's hopes of being in another Grand Slam final were dashed by the dangerous Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in a rather one-sided affair.

The conditions were windy, and after the first few games of getting used to the breeze, Federer struck the first blow as he broke in the fifth game with a smooth inside-out forehand. Both men held once and then came the big turning point in the match, the seventh game with Federer serving at 4-3. The Swiss went up 40-15 when Tsonga hit a ridiculous forehand angle winner to get to 40-30. On that point, Roger hit a simple error and it was deuce. Then he swung a forehand drive volley wide and then a routine forehand into the net gave the crowd favourite the break back.

From then, on it was all Tsonga, who is the first Frenchman to appear in a Roland Garros semifinal since Gael Monfils in 2008 (who played Federer). He won the first set and overall won 7 of the next games to take a 7-5, 3-0 lead. Federer held his own service games for the remainder of the set but couldn't get a sniff on Tsonga's service games, and quickly, almost too quickly, it was two sets to none for the Tsuper Tsonga.

In the third it didn't get much better as Roger lost serve in the opening game but he managed to break back. Then at 3-3 he played some loose tennis and gave up the break, which was the final nail in the coffin. A bad match from the 17-time major winner, and it's now onto the grass as he prepares for Wimbledon, where he is the defending champion.

 Now, I will give you my in-depth thoughts about everything to do with this match and what the future holds now for Mr. Federer.

First off, many people are overreacting to this loss, saying that Federer will never win another Slam, that he isn't a top 5 player anymore, that he should just retire now, you get the idea. At the end of the day, Tsonga played a good match and Federer played a bad one, and that is what led to a straight sets defeat. I have heard people say he lost so badly because he has declined steeply, which, let's face it, is what we have been hearing for the last 5 years.

Tennis players have bad days. They do when they are 31 going on 32, they do when they are 28, they do when they are 24. This loss doesn't mean he's finished, or that he will never have another shot at glory during Grand Slam play. The motivation isn't lacking like some fans and pundits say, he just had a bad day. His forehand was wild. His return of serve was struggling. He missed simple overheads that he never misses.

Certainly the wind did not help much. When you aren't timing the ball well and in a good rhythm, the very last thing you want is wind which will screw up your timing of the ball even more. It probably didn't help his serve either as unlike Tsonga, he couldn't really hit through the court. He didn't hit once ace in the match.

Federer is declining. It is clear, and inevitable that everyone will decline at some point as age catches up to them. Against Tsonga, we did see some glaring glimpses that he was not who he once was even two years ago. He does not possess as much power. His reaction time is not as sharp. He cannot defend as he once did, especially on clay which is the most physical surface of them all. But his anticipation, racquet skills, tennis knowledge, and tactics have not diminished, and he is still capable of playing tennis as well as he did in his prime. The problem now is that he's just more inconsistent. He has more bad days than he used to. That happens when you are over 30 and have played over 1100 matches at the professional level. Not to mention the fact that he has been at the top of the game non-stop for the last decade, competing against amazing players who have pushed him hard.

So what does the future lie in store for the great man? If there is one positive from going out in the quarterfinals it is that he will have extra time to prepare for Wimbledon, starting with the warm-up tournament in Halle. I am sure Fed is going to go all out at Wimbledon once again this year knowing it is his best chance at another Slam title.
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I think he is going to push really hard in the second half of the year to do well. Last year, he had so much success in the first half of the year and played so many matches (lots of tough, mentally and physically exhausting ones as well) that he kind of ran out of gas after Cincinnati. This year he had only played 29 matches with a record of 22-7. We know of the problems with his back, but he just hasn't played as much because he hasn't gone as deep in tournaments as he did last year.

Think about it: 5 matches in Australia (one walkover), 4 in Rotterdam (one walkover), 5 in Dubai, 6 in Indian Wells, 2 in Miami, 5 in Madrid, 4 in Rome, and 6 at the French Open. This year: 6 in Australia, 3 in Rotterdam, 4 in Dubai, 4 in Indian Wells, 2 in Madrid, 5 in Rome, and 5 in the French Open. By this time last year he was 34-5 with 4 titles. He was in a good rhythm and had great confidence from winning so many matches he could have and perhaps should have lost. This year, he has had a few bad losses, namely to Benneteau in Rotterdam, Berdych in Dubai (a shattering defeat mentally), and Nishikori in Madrid. I do believe that lack of match play and lack of success did hurt him in this match against Tsonga, as right after he gave up the break in the first the wheels came flying off (unlike last year, where the wheels on the bus go round and round....).

I honestly think Roger is going to have a good second half of the year. Halle, Wimbledon, Canada, Cincinnati, the US Open, Shanghai, Basel, Paris, and the WTF are all surfaces that suit his game. I would like to see him skip Shanghai and play Paris like he did in 2011 as playing indoors is better for his game.

As for the rest of the French Open, the semifinals are set and they feature Tsonga vs Ferrer and the much-anticipated Nadal vs Djokovic rematch from last year. This is now the 4th year in a row the two of them have played in at least one Slam.

Djokovic was given a stern test by Tommy Haas in the quarters, who undoubtedly is playing some of his finest tennis at age 35, quite the remarkable feat. Stan Wawrinka had nothing against Rafael Nadal and was dispatched easily.

If I was a betting man, I would pick Djokovic over Nadal and Ferrer over Tsonga, even though the better story would be Tsonga vs Djokovic in a rematch of last year's epic quarterfinal. Tsonga won't be able to exploit Ferrer like he did Federer - the Spaniard defends and returns better, and you can guarantee he won't litter errors like Roger did either, unless he implodes under pressure. But as it stands, Jo is the one with the most pressure as he looks to become the first French man to make the final since 1983 when Yannick Noah won.

Before I finish just one quick note to all Federer fans reading this: don't be too disappointed. Even if Roger had beaten Tsonga and Ferrer and made the final it would have been a very, very tough challenge to beat Nadal or Djokovic. From here on out, his best chances at the Slams lie at Wimbledon and the US Open and even the Australian Open as even with the slower court there, it's still played on hard.

Enjoy the rest of the tournament and we'll see Federer in Halle, looking to win that title for a 6th time.

Kyle.

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