Whipping Boy

I got my wish - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has totally made Novak Djokovic his bitch. Sure, Djokovic is through to the semis and Tsonga isn't, but I am so loving this record. In their last three meetings, Tsonga has whipped Djokovic's arse. I guess the Australian Open gave him sussing out time, and now he's riding that sweet ol' revenge train all the way home.

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I was totally wrong with my predictions for the Gold Group - I was positive that Tsonga and del Potro would get through. Davydenko has been so lacklustre all season (apart from that bright spot in Miami), Djokovic has been very unimpressive of late and Tsonga and del Potro have been on a major hot run. I guess it goes to show why Davydenko has been near the top of the game for so long, and why Djokovic has held onto that #3 position. Even when they're playing not so well, there's still a certain element of consistency.

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Not that I just paid Novak Djokovic a compliment, I would never do that.

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There's a story on the Tennis Australia website this morning about Federer's illness - apparently he has some stomach-bug or whatever - and they're making him look all despondent. He's been quoted as saying it'd be a 'miracle' if he got through to the semis what with him being ill, but reading the interview, I think he's taken out of context.

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"At the end of the day I still have a chance. I hope with a day of recovery, I'll make a miracle happen here and get through into the semis."

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This is what he said. However, I don't think he really means 'miracle' in the sense of something being actually miraculous, if that makes sense. Does anyone else think this is being blown way out of proportion? The stomach bug is also described as 'crippling' - but for someone crippled, he did a tidy job of putting the Worm away yesterday: and although the Worm isn't actually a qualifier, he doesn't, you know, actively suck. So I'm still hopeful for Federer. I don't think he'll need a miracle - just some of that ol' Roger magic.

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Today's Results

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Tennis Masters Cup (Shanghai)

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Gold Group

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Novak Djokovic, 1-6 7-5 6-1

Nikolay Davydenko def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3 6-2