Jo-Wilfried Tsonga admitted that even he was stunned by the level of tennis and shots he was delivering against Rafael Nadal during their 2008 Australian Open semifinal.
In early 2008, Tsonga made his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open and he was due to face Nadal.
Nadal, who beat Tsonga in straight sets at the 2007 US Open, entered their Australian Open semifinal as the favorite.
But Nadal hardly stood any chance against Tsonga as the Frenchman destroyed the Spaniard 6-2 6-3 6-2.
“The semi-final against Nadal? Frankly, that day, for the time being, all the planets are aligned. I have this unconsciousness of the moment that makes me do things that I could not do in consciousness and maybe never repeat. When I look back at the match, there are points, volleys .I say to myself ‘what is this thing, where did it come from?’. I’m playing perfect tennis, in perfect conditions for me. Maybe I’m unstoppable at this point. Here I am, I’m in the final,” Tsonga recalled in a column for Eurosport.
How many times did Tsonga beat Nadal?
After their 2008 Australian Open semifinal, Tsonga and Nadal met 12 more times.
Nadal seemingly wasn’t thrilled with how the 2008 Australian Open semifinal unfolded as he beat Tsonga in their next four meetings.
Tsonga’s second win against Nadal came at the Queen’s Club in 2011, when he beat Nadal to end a four-match losing streak against the Spaniard.
Tsonga beat Nadal two more times – at the 2011 ATP Finals and 2015 Shanghai Masters.
After 2015, Tsonga and Nadal played two more times.
In 2019, Nadal defeated Tsonga at Wimbledon and the Paris Masters, respectively.
In the end, Nadal finished with a 10-4 head-to-head against Tsonga.
Unfortunately for Tsonga, he never again played a Grand Slam final after 2008.
After 2008, Tsonga made five more Grand Slam semifinals but never a Major final.
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