Knocked Down: Jo-Willy Fighting to Get Back Up

This December, I'm going to attempt to profile a few players to watch in advance of the 2014 season. Leave a comment on any of these postmortems if there is a player you think I overlooked!

I would love to see this after a Grand Slam final

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a modern example of French men's tennis. Can wow one point, then make you scratch your head the next. Combustible, yet huggable. Attempts unnecessarily acrobatic shots, yet seems perplexed when they don't go as planned. But unlike a Gael Monfils or a Benoit Paire, Jo is the only one of the lot that has been to a Grand Slam final and has the firepower to break the Big 4. So why did he finish 2013 a small step back from where he started? Let's take a look at his season starting with the positives:

The Good

For someone who was out due to injury for a huge chunk of the second half, Jo did well to remain in the Top 10 at the end of 2013. After missing the U.S. Open, he nearly defended his Metz title, losing to another Frenchman in Gilles Simon in the final. He made a good charge in his attempt to return to the World Tour Finals  with his semifinal run in Shanghai and came within a point and a match from outpacing Gasquet for that last berth to London. JW had a solid season pre-knee problems, helped by his title run in Marseille in February. Most notable was his monstrous French Open which included a thumping of Federer in the quarterfinals. He's also the spitting image of Muhammad Ali, which should count for something.

The Bad

Unfortunately for Jo and tennis fans alike, he continues to be snake-bitten with injuries at inopportune times. His retirement at Wimbledon was especially disappointing, since he was the one name outside of our four usual suspects that had an outside chance to potentially make the final against an out-of-gas Novak Djokovic. Tsonga isn't getting any younger either; he's older than three of the Big 4. His peak window is slowly closing and Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

The Ugly

How frustrating is it to watch Jo-Willy play, you ask? Watch this (1:18 - 1:42):

That's how frustrating. He does dumb things during the most unforgiving moments. His affinity for flair takes away from his substantial game. He let's matches slip from his grasp. The aforementioned point does not a Grand Slam champion make. He also has a habit of completely bowing to the guys ranked above him at times when you think he could pull off the upset. He drew Djokovic in the quarters of Indian Wells, with Djokovic coming off of underwhelming performances against Fabio Fognini and Grigor Dimitrov in his two previous matches, and got dusted, 1 and 3. He dismantles Federer in straights in the Roland Garros quarterfinals, only to get blown away by David Ferrer on his home court in the very next round. Opportunity seldom knocks during this Golden Era for the second tier players, but Jo is never around to answer the door when she does.

2014 Outlook

All of that being said, I really see this being a banner year to come for Tsonga. If anyone outside of the Big 4 were to win a Slam next season, he's first on my list. He has the power, he has the desire, and he has recorded big wins more recently than the other outsiders. If he could somehow be a little less French during critical points, we might see him in another Slam final very soon.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment!