Tsonga's feat in Toronto, already 11 years ago
11 years ago, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga thrilled French fans by winning Toronto. The Frenchman, on fire, swept aside Djokovic, Murray and then Federer in the final during a legendary week. Since then? Not a single Masters 1000 title for France.
August 10, 2014. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had just achieved what very few players can boast of accomplishing in their career: beating three members of the Big Four - Djokovic, Murray and Federer - in a single week, and winning a Masters 1000 title.
It was a scorching summer in Canada, and it was there that Tsonga, then 29 years old, would challenge the logic and established order of world tennis. After successively defeating Novak Djokovic (world No. 1, 6-2, 6-2) in the round of 16, Andy Murray (No. 9, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4) in the quarterfinals, then Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals (6-4, 6-3), he faced Roger Federer, a living legend, in the final. Result: a victory in two sets (7-5, 7-6).
"That week, I was unbeatable. I felt invincible. I was playing the best tennis of my life," Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said at the time.
But since that Canadian final, no French player has managed to win a Masters 1000 title. Neither Gaël Monfils, nor Richard Gasquet, nor Lucas Pouille, nor Ugo Humbert.
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