Sunday, February 3, 2008

Djokovic and Tsonga... the new generation ?

After the much-debated Australian Open, where Djokovic defeated Wilfred Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2), the first question to arise is if Djokovic is ready to be number 1 and if he has finally managed to put his emotions aside when under pressure.
I cannot say for sure that Djokovic is better than Federer or Nadal overall, but sometimes "Nole" can play some pretty hard tennis. He has all the qualities that make a champion, but the thing is that he has shown that he can fold under pressure. If he will manage to be a better mental player, i think it won't be long before he will reach the most desired ranking in the ATP.
The second question is if Tsonga will return to his level of play (like Baghdatis did in 2006) or if he is truly a great player. I will not bet my money on Tsonga just yet. He is a great athlete but "one Grand Slam wonders" are not that unique. I can think of at least 5 or 6 players that went a long way down after reaching a Grand Slam final. Also, i don't think Tsonga is an "all-round" player. But maybe time will prove me wrong.

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