With a new presidential administration starting, the NFL playoffs going on, college basketball and so much more, it’s easy to forget we’re deep into the first tennis major of the year.
That would be the Australian Open. While it seems like the only newsworthy headline is Novak Djokovic losing in the first round, one of Monday’s quarterfinal matches got extra heated.
This match was between Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. After a tight first set that Wawrinka won on the tiebreak, things got heated.
It continued.
I know we’re all supposed to be about sportsmanship, but I am digging this intensity. The anger appeared to linger onto the court, with Wawrinka hitting Tsonga at one point; he seemed to apologize, and this may have been an accident, but there was plenty of tension here.
I’m not even sure if the current season of The Bachelor can produce this type of competitiveness or animosity. These two seem fired up. Wawrinka wound up winning the match 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-3, so whatever was said here certainly didn’t hurt his game any. It also was his fourth win in a row over Tsonga, and one that improved his record against Tsonga in Grand Slams to 3-1.
Wawrinka’s through to the semifinals now, and you have to wonder if he sees this as a chance to break out. With Novak Djokovic already out, there’s one less juggernaut to get past en route to the championship.
In my opinion, tennis is more fun when we have feuds. Talent is always great, but if you can’t break your racket about a call or your opponent, what’s the point? Wawrinka and Tsonga are both talented players, and they certainly seem to be developing a rivalry. We’ll see how things go the next time they face off.
