Wimbledon: Tsonga down but not out as he hails Scot as worthy winner

Published on 07/07/2012 01:52

IT WASN’T all about Andy Murray last night. Many spared a thought for the popular Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, even in this historic hour.

The 27-year-old was about to lose his second successive Wimbledon semifinal, and yet he still managed to grin as he and Murray waited at the net as Hawk-Eye prepared to deliver the news the Frenchman didn’t want to hear.

Later, he sat back and reflected on another missed opportunity, although he did admit that he felt Murray had deserved to go through to tomorrow’s final. He also promised to have his “revenge” on the Scot for an incident in the last game of the third set, when Murray crashed a volley into his opponent’s nether regions. “That has never happened before,” smiled the Frenchman. “But I will have my revenge one time.”

It doesn’t mean he will be favouring Roger Federer over Murray tomorrow. “I will try to root for nobody,” he said, the pain of defeat clearly still a little too tender for him. Not that he will be watching the final. Tsonga intends to head back to France. “For me, now it’s finished,” he said. “I will be on holiday. I haven’t seen my family. I have a little niece. She is only two years old and I have only seen her two times. I have to see her.”

Although Tsonga made a brave comeback to take the third set, he said Murray “didn’t miss one serve; he was really, really good”. Tsonga did not make too much of a trainer break at the end of the second set. “You know, sometimes my back is blocked and I have to unblock it,” he said. “There is a table [in the locker room]. I go there and I do what I have to do, and then I come back and I feel better.”

However, he couldn’t quite wrestle back control of the match. “Even though I lost, you know, I am proud of what I did,” he said. “Even if I made some mistakes, I fought. OK, I lost, but I did my best. Maybe next time I will have the chance, and maybe next time I will get through.”

Meanwhile, Serena Williams is delighted to see Andy Murray in a Wimbledon final at last. The four-time women’s champion rates the 25-year-old Scot one of the most entertaining players on the tour and believes he was destined to reach the final of his home grand slam.

Williams said: “It’s great for him. I’m a big Andy Murray fan. I love watching him play. I think he’s really exciting.”

Williams, preparing to tackle Agnieszka Radwanska in the women’s final today, added: “I love watching him play because I think it’s so exciting. You never know what he’s going to do. He’s running every ball down.”