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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s unexpected early round loss to Renzo Olivo

By Gale Moorman

Mar 11, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) returns during his second round match against Fabio Fognini (ITA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) returns during his second round match against Fabio Fognini (ITA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 11, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) hits a forehand during his second round match against Fabio Fognini (ITA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Tsonga won the 3rd set at 7-6. Then the darkness crept in not only in the skies but in his style of play, falling back into a slower paced, non aggressive play. The match was stopped at 5-4 with Olivo leading in the 4th set and they were summoned to come back Wednesday to finish off the set and perhaps the match.

Everyone knows that when you sleep on a match too often good things never result and it was this way when they came back on Wednesday with blue skies and nice weather. But Tsonga wasn’t the self that he left on Tuesday and he lost the first three points on his serve on returning the next day.

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He had moral support with the hometown crowd screaming and cheering for him to do better, to get into the ‘swing’ of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier stadium. The fan support helped and he saved three match points, but Olivo was the villain and he was on a roll left off from the day before. Renzo won the match with a strong forehand crosscourt winner and won the respect of many even though he wasn’t a local favorite.

Renzo Olivo, a guy from Argentina, ranked No. 91, carried a nine tournament losing streak on his back but came out victorious in defeating Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4. But the skies over Roland Garros weren’t the only things blue, for it was Tsonga who only looked at the situation as letting his hometown people down. He hadn’t lost in the opening round of any major since the 2007 Australian Open and at Roland Garros back in 2005 when he was just out of his teenage years.

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This match was great for Olivo who not only accomplished so much by breaking his losing streak, but by also winning a match at a grand slam and winning off of a No. 11 ranked Jo-Wilfred Tsonga to go on to the second round feeling excited and rejuvenated.

"As for Tsonga, he said about himself that “I never really found the right pace”. He naturally has respect for his opponent and for the game of tennis and has other things now, his family to get pleasure from also and he says quietly that “If it’s not today, it will be another day”."

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