Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played his last tennis match in the ongoing Roland Garros. The Frenchman suffered a hard-fought first-round loss to Casper Ruud. In his 18-year-long career, the former World No. 5 reached the finals of the Australian Open in 2008 while also reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon twice.
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Even though Tsonga was one of the most prominent players on the tour, he wasn’t ever able to win a major. Going by the words of legendary player John McEnroe, he believes the incredible levels portrayed by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic over the years as the reason behind Tsonga not winning a slam.
Did the Big Three influence Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s chances at majors?
The ‘Big Three’ have been the most dominant players on the tour for a long time. Starting from Federer’s win at the 2003 Wimbledon to Nadal’s win at the 2022 Australian Open, the three have won 61 of the 76 Grand Slams. In their 2-decade dominance, the three have restricted their contemporaries to a handful of titles, both at the Masters and Grand Slam level.
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As said by McEnroe, “The three other guys [Federer, Nadal, Djokovic], that was the issue for everyone.”
Looking at the record, Tsonga has outplayed Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic on only a handful of occasions as the stats show. Nadal leads the head-to-head race 10-4 against Tsonga while Federer leads the race 12-6. Last but not least, Novak Djokovic leads the race 17-6.
The incredible consistency of Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic
Considering the astonishing consistency and longevity of the three greats of the modern era, and calling it as a reason for Tsonga not winning a slam, McEnroe said, “They are incredible tennis players and they also psyche these guys out. They are three of the all-time great athletes and Jo was a little bit below that and that cost him against them.”
McEnroe further commented on the chances of Tsonga and others winning a slam during the era of the Big Three, and said, “Sure he could have won one with a little bit of luck and so could Monfils and some other guys but those guys are very selfish and stingy!”
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While Tsonga suffered a first-round exit at Roland Garros, Nadal and Djokovic continue to fight for their next major title. On the other hand, Federer is gearing up to make a comeback at the Swiss Indoors Basel.
