Jo-Wilfried Tsonga makes a quick return after marathon Wimbledon 2016 scrap

Tsonga of celebrates victory during the Men's Singles third round match against John Isner
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
Chris Jones4 July 2016

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga turned to one of the longest films in Hollywood history as he reflected on a marathon win over John Isner that left him with little time to prepare for today’s fourth-round clash with fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

After surviving a lung-bursting 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 19-17 rain-affected win over Isner that took four hours and 24 minutes, popular Tsonga summed up his feelings by stating that “Tomorrow is going to be another day” which links him neatly with the famous line from the epic Gone with the Wind, a film that lasts for nearly four hours.

Now, Tsonga has to go through it all again as he will head onto No1 Court to tackle seventh seed Richard Gasquet, who had a much shorter task in defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas, of Spain, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Tsonga, the 12th seed, has been badly affected by the rain problems that forced Wimbledon to open its doors on the middle Sunday and he said: “What is difficult for us is to play the day after. It’s a little bit sad because a few days ago I won my first match and I had to wait two days to play my second match. They didn’t schedule me on the second day. Now, you know, I have to play three days in a row. Yeah, that’s a little bit unfair but I’m prepared for it. Tomorrow is going to be another day.”

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Tsonga and Isner needed 44 games and two hours, 33 minutes to complete the final two sets of their suspended third-round match, with that final set comprising 36 games and lasting two hours and eight minutes.

“It’s good to be alive,” said Tsonga, who saved a match point at 16-15 in the fifth set. It was Tsonga’s 103rd match win in a Grand Slam, putting him in a tie with Jean Borotra at the top of the list of French players with the most victories in majors.

Gasquet will be aiming to make his childhood friend feel the strain of that long match by forcing him to run from side to side with his excellent ground strokes.

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Gasquet admitted it would be a tough task because both players know each other so well.

He said: “Jo is one of my good friends. We have played since we were children and so, of course, he’s a good friend. We are both French, we know each other well and so it will be a tough match.”

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