By James Waterson
Photo Credit: JULIAN FINNEY/AFP/Getty Images
(June 29, 2011) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from a two-set deficit to defeat six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Wednesday.
“It was just amazing today, I played unbelievable,” Tsonga said to the BBC. “I’m so happy. It’s crazy. He’s the biggest champion in my sport and the best player in the world.”
He had plenty of reason to be happy because he had to play his best tennis to beat Federer, who until today had a 178-0 record in Grand Slams after winning the first two sets.
That’s because Federer played a great match. He had 57 winners to 11 unforced errors, compared to Tsonga’s 63 winners and 22 unforced errors, and he won more points on his return.
The Swiss also never lost more than eight points on his serve in each set, which otherwise would have made breaking him difficult.
The Frenchman earned his breaks early in the last three sets, and Federer was unable to earn a break point.
This is the second year Federer has lost in the quarterfinals. Last year, he lost to Tomas Berdych 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
By making the semifinals, Tsonga has turned in his best performance at Wimbledon. He faces World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who he has a 5-2 record against. The Frenchman won their last match in five sets in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Australian Open.