Tsonga vs Berdych: Who can win a Slam?

Jo Wilfred Tsonga. The charismatic Frenchman who loves fun and playing tennis.
Tomas Berdych. The icy faced 'silent assassin' from the Czech Republic.

Alas, these two musketeers in the men's game may have a contrast in personality but they do share one thing in common: deadly power.

The question I pose to 606v2 today is not whether either player will win a slam but:
Who (out of Tsonga and Berdych) is more likely to win a Grand Slam in their career?

Achievements:
Tsonga and Berdych are both ranked #6 and #7 respectfully. Tsonga's highest rankings is #5, while Berdych has been #6.
Tsonga and Berdych have reached 1 Grand Slams Final each, Tsonga in Australian Open 2008, while Berdych reached the Wimbledon Final in 2010 but neither has won a major. Both have also won a Masters Series Title- in Paris indoors.
The Czech and the Frenchman beat Roger Federer in 2010 and 2011 respectively. In-fact I believe Berdych's sublime 4 set performance has been unfairly forgotten after Tsonga's heroic comeback in 2011. Meanwhile Tsonga's best result in a Grand Slam was not Wimbledon 2011 but AO 2008, when he crushed Murray and Nadal before eventually losing in the final.

Gameplay:
Gamestyle: Both have similar strategies: Attack and beat your opponent into submission. Berdych, 6"5 and Tsonga 6"2 both have massive serves which is key to their game. For me Tsonga's serve is a bit more inconsistent, but as Roger Federer can testify after the last 3 sets of the 2011 Wimbledon QF, can switch at anytime to absolutely devastating.
Movement: Tsonga has the edge. The Frenchman never fears diving around the court, despite the fact he is not as agile as Djokovic. Berdych's movement is good for a man of his size though, better than the likes of Del Potro and Cilic.
Groundstrokes: This is very hard to call. On bad days both players are prone to making unforced errors and sloppy mistakes, but lethal when firing well. Tsonga's shots have a larger back-swing and follow through while Berdych's groundstrokes are more 'static'.
Variety: Neither player uses the slice or dropshot excessively, but Tsonga, who does not have a coach, is much more likely to experiment during a match with a different range of shots. (however sometimes this can be his downfall!) Tsonga is a much better player at the net, if not for anything it is his brave tendency to dive which gives him exceptional reach.

Record against the Top 4:
Tsonga:
3-8 vs Federer
5-6 vs Djokovic
1-6 vs Murray
3-7 vs Nadal
Overall: 0-4 and 31%

Berdych:
4-11 vs Federer
1-9 vs Djokovic
4-2 vs Murray
3-12 vs Nadal
Overall 1-3 and 26%


Judgement:
As I have said, the question is of who is more likely to win a slam. Overall I feel it will be very difficult for either Tsonga or Berdych to win a Slam in the near future as they are behind the Top 4 in the pecking order (but still above Del Potro and Ferrer I believe).
However if I had to choose who is more likely I must say it is very close to call! Both have big power games who have shown the trouble the big guns, but to win a major they might have to beat 3 of the top 4 in a row. Nevertheless I would give the edge to Tsonga, as in the bigger moments I feel he is mentally superior to Berdych, but not by much!

I actually think Berdych is a more solid all round player, He moves quite well and can beat anyone at his best. But I agree that Tsonga is more likely to win a slam as he has the exuberance to grab the moment by the horns.

Tsonga is very unpredictable, in a good and bad ways... But is more likely to go into a slam semi or final believing he WILL win it, in my opinion.

Very, very tough question though. There isn't much between them.

If i have to choose I think Berdych is the better bet, just.

Both Tsonga and Berdych have their mental demons.

I personally think Tsonga would claim a slam, if the Top 4 would let him.

I would also concur with Danny's assessment.

Danny_1982 wrote:I actually think Berdych is a more solid all round player, He moves quite well and can beat anyone at his best. But I agree that Tsonga is more likely to win a slam as he has the exuberance to grab the moment by the horns.

Tsonga is very unpredictable, in a good and bad ways... But is more likely to go into a slam semi or final believing he WILL win it, in my opinion.

Very, very tough question though. There isn't much between them.

I have to agree with that. But to be fair Berdych is also unpredictable, losing early in this year's Wimbledon, and also last year's French Open.
You said Berdych 'is a better all round player' and I can see where you are coming from, but Tsonga can volley and mix it up too, as we can see it's very close

Bogbrush, interesting opinion, but why do you give Berdych the edge? What was your 'tipping factor'?

An interesting conundrum and IMBL sets out the case for each of these players very well.

As others have said it's a close call, and ultimately my vote would go to Tsonga. I'd say Federer summed it rather neatly when he once said that if you come up against JWT on one of his really hot days then there's very little you can do to stop him, and he can be all over you before you've had chance to work out just what's happening. Which is pretty much what Rafa must have felt at A0 20O8. I think only JMDP has ever been quite so clinical against Rafa in a Slam (when he unceremoniously bounced him at the USO SF the following year).

We've yet to see what might happen if these two met each other at a Slam, and in their only two Bo3 clashes to date it's one apiece.

Contrary to everybodie's opinion here I feel Tsonga is far better player, Berdych is an one-dimensional player and relies heavily on his power, Tsonga on the other hand can play skillfully as well as powerfully,I won't say he is mentally weak, its just the Top 4 are too good and to win a slam he has to beat atleast 2 of not 3 which is close to impossible.

Tsonga is far more entertaining and a crowd puller, Berdych on the other hand is ultra boring.

h2h is 1-1 plus a walkover win for Tsonga and Berdych has a challenger win over Tsonga in 2004.

The Day Berdych wins a slam I will quit watching Tennis.

I will say neither.

All the time Tsonga plays without any tactical nous, he will lack the necessary concentration to defeat the better players deep into the draws of Slams or Masters series. The guy has got some superb shots in his bag and it wasted because he works a lot harder than he needs to. If he could address that issue, he would be in the top 4 without a doubt.

Berdych just doesn't have the movement required to win a Slam. Power will get you so far, but he is too much much of a line and length player and doesn't have the variety of a Tsonga. He is tactically better than Tsonga.

They both have issues with the mental side. It literally impacts their game to a point it turns a match into a defeat out of nowhere.

I don't think either will win a slam, but if I am counfounded I think it more likely to be by Tsonga because he rises to bigger heights than Berdych when he's truly on and he has gone far in slams more often as well as more recently.

Berdych has not got close to repeating his slam form across RG-W 2010, and his 'big 4' victims in that run, Murray, Federer, and Djokovic have upped their games since then.

legendkillarV2 wrote:I will say neither.

All the time Tsonga plays without any tactical nous, he will lack the necessary concentration to defeat the better players deep into the draws of Slams or Masters series. The guy has got some superb shots in his bag and it wasted because he works a lot harder than he needs to. If he could address that issue, he would be in the top 4 without a doubt.

Berdych just doesn't have the movement required to win a Slam. Power will get you so far, but he is too much much of a line and length player and doesn't have the variety of a Tsonga. He is tactically better than Tsonga.

They both have issues with the mental side. It literally impacts their game to a point it turns a match into a defeat out of nowhere.

Interesting.
Certainly mentality may be a factor, but the worst thing for them is that they are currently behind the top 4 in the pecking order.

It Must Be Love wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:I will say neither.

All the time Tsonga plays without any tactical nous, he will lack the necessary concentration to defeat the better players deep into the draws of Slams or Masters series. The guy has got some superb shots in his bag and it wasted because he works a lot harder than he needs to. If he could address that issue, he would be in the top 4 without a doubt.

Berdych just doesn't have the movement required to win a Slam. Power will get you so far, but he is too much much of a line and length player and doesn't have the variety of a Tsonga. He is tactically better than Tsonga.

They both have issues with the mental side. It literally impacts their game to a point it turns a match into a defeat out of nowhere.

Interesting.
Certainly mentality may be a factor, but the worst thing for them is that they are currently behind the top 4 in the pecking order.

Quite so - it's bad enough being in the top 4 and knowing that you will almost certainly face 1, and possibly 2, of the top 4 to win, at Nos. 5-8 you know that you are likely to face 3, and almost certainly 2 of the top 4 from QF onwards.

Good question as their playing careers are so similar! Both reached 1 slam final, and a SF elsewhere...both on around 7-8 titles...and just 5 months age between them. Even their H2H is 1-1.

So hard to pick between them...but I do believe if Berdych could ever screw his head on properly he had the better overall profile of the two...he can be unplayable at times. Tsonga all seems to take such high risks (fun to watch) that you wonder how seriously he takes the game at times.

Shame he couldnt convert at FO vs Novak this year though...that would have been a watershed breakthrough for him outside hardcourts.

lydian wrote:Good question as their playing careers are so similar! Both reached 1 slam final, and a SF elsewhere...both on around 7-8 titles...and just 5 months age between them. Even their H2H is 1-1.

So hard to pick between them...but I do believe if Berdych could ever screw his head on properly he had the better overall profile of the two...he can be unplayable at times. Tsonga all seems to take such high risks (fun to watch) that you wonder how seriously he takes the game at times.

Shame he couldnt convert at FO vs Novak this year though...that would have been a watershed breakthrough for him outside hardcourts.

Aye Thats why I started the article, these two players are closely matched!

At the moment I think slightly more people fancy Tsonga, but not by much.

Indeed IMBL...another good topic!

Its a tough call isnt it...alot of it might come to luck of draws for both of them to get that elusive 1st slam.

lydian wrote:Indeed IMBL...another good topic!

Its a tough call isnt it...alot of it might come to luck of draws for both of them to get that elusive 1st slam.

If each player could choose 2 of the top 4, who would they face?
Tsonga would probably want Djokovic and Nadal/Murray...?
Berdych would want Murray and Federer probably.

What do you think?

Obviously, the likelihood of either of them winning a slam is quite small (<10%), but it's an interesting hypothetical.

Berdych is the closer to Del Potro in style and tactics, and we all saw what can happen when someone of that type gets on a particularly hot streak (and perhaps has a little bit of luck). Berdy is probably a little more consistent that DP, and perhaps his highest heights are not a match for JMDP's very best.

Tsonga is the more exciting and fun to watch, which is perhaps why posters are slightly favouring him in this question. The issue with Tsonga is that while he has some great strengths to his game, he also has a major weakness in the inconsistency of his backhand groundstroke. If he gets that going well for a couple of matches at the end of a slam, plus playing his high power and aggressive game, it's possible (if unlikely) that he will cut his way through a draw.

Overall, I think JWT probably just has the edge because his absolute best play is better, but it's really a close call.

barrystar wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:I will say neither.

All the time Tsonga plays without any tactical nous, he will lack the necessary concentration to defeat the better players deep into the draws of Slams or Masters series. The guy has got some superb shots in his bag and it wasted because he works a lot harder than he needs to. If he could address that issue, he would be in the top 4 without a doubt.

Berdych just doesn't have the movement required to win a Slam. Power will get you so far, but he is too much much of a line and length player and doesn't have the variety of a Tsonga. He is tactically better than Tsonga.

They both have issues with the mental side. It literally impacts their game to a point it turns a match into a defeat out of nowhere.

Interesting.
Certainly mentality may be a factor, but the worst thing for them is that they are currently behind the top 4 in the pecking order.

Quite so - it's bad enough being in the top 4 and knowing that you will almost certainly face 1, and possibly 2, of the top 4 to win, at Nos. 5-8 you know that you are likely to face 3, and almost certainly 2 of the top 4 from QF onwards.

Indeed!
To answer what I said earlier if each player could choose 2 out of the Top 4 to face, by H2H record:
Tsonga: Djokovic (45%) and Nadal (30%)!
Berdych: Murray (67%) and Federer (27%)!

Anyone losing 6 matches to Murray is a match fixer and worthy of facing trial. Tsonga! Out of ATP now!

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Anyone losing 6 matches to Murray is a match fixer and worthy of facing trial. Tsonga! Out of ATP now!

So I guess you think Berdych is more likely

It Must Be Love wrote:

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Anyone losing 6 matches to Murray is a match fixer and worthy of facing trial. Tsonga! Out of ATP now!

So I guess you think Berdych is more likely

If he just put the same effort into beating Djoker and Rafa than he does with Murray and Fed then he is more likely!

They are both consistent players and have been very close to bagging 1000+ finals recently! (Berdych v Fed in Madrid was extremely close as was Tsonga v Fed in the O2)

So, we're now coming on to the 3rd round of the Australian Open, quite a few months after I wrote this article.
Can you see any of these two winning in Australia?

I believe Tsonga has Federer is in quarter... can he beat Fed like in Wimby 2011.

It Must Be Love wrote:So, we're now coming on to the 3rd round of the Australian Open, quite a few months after I wrote this article.
Can you see any of these two winning in Australia?

I believe Tsonga has Federer is in quarter... can he beat Fed like in Wimby 2011.

Technically speaking Raonic, Tomic and Jerry have better chances of winning the current or future slam compared to these two.

To add further I will say Ferrer will win a slam if he had to encounter one of them in the semi and the other one in the final.

It Must Be Love wrote:

........................................................................................................

I believe Tsonga has Federer is in quarter... can he beat Fed like in Wimby 2011.

Undoubtedly he can. He's looking strong, maybe even peaking right on cue. Let's not forget his epic performance at the AO2008 when he took out three top tenners, even turned over mighty Rafa in straights and only fell to champion Djoko in the Final.

invisible : re Daveed ..... surely not ....?? Ferrer is approaching 31. Still posting great results, but if he was ever going to win a Slam, he would have done so by now

some of the head to heads are need updating soz

Such a good question due to the stat similarities. I actually think that Tsonga is the superior all-round player, possessing more variety and being a nightmare when actually on form. His movement and power are a genuine problem for players. Berdych is probably more devastating when he winds it up, and is more capable of blowing people off the court, but relies a bit too heavily on the one-two punch. They're both susceptible to good returners too, looking at the head to heads...though Tsonga's record against Djokovic is surprisingly good!

I would say Berdych is the more likely, but more a gut instinct than anything else. Like dummy_half mentioned, he reminds me slightly more of JMDP in terms of the raw power that's unloaded from the forehand side, and that's maybe more capable of winning a slam in the conditions under which the modern game is played. Tsonga would be rampant favourite on a quicker court though.

Just realised how old the thread is! Still pertinent though

lags72 wrote:

invisible : re Daveed ..... surely not ....?? Ferrer is approaching 31. Still posting great results, but if he was ever going to win a Slam, he would have done so by now

No in this tournament, [Likely] Berdy meets Djoko in QF and Tsonga meets Fed in Quarters and assume Murray bows down to some body, David will meet Berdych in Semi's and Tsonga in Finals [If the two contenders of the thread both get a scalp], even if such scenario happen David will take it with both hands i.e the trophy, he won't let either Berdy or Tsonga to claim their first. David is a mental fortitude like the Top 4.

So even if the top 4 is not there Berdy/ Tsonga will not win a slam if Ferrer is fighting fit, just my opinion, this is the same guy who almost played all GS semi's [Barring A0 2012] but I am pretty sure now he will complete the quartet of semi's.

But yes on the other hand you are right David unfortunately never gonna win a slam unless some miracle happen, however would love to see the miracle thou.

Out of the two i'd always say Berdych, he's much better off the ground and has naturally heavier shots. He has the ability to take a match away from pretty much anyone when at his best.I prefer watching Tsonga because he is more up and down, but his ROS is just so poor i couldn't see him winning a major.

But at his best isn't Tsonga more explosive?

If Tsonga could string together seven matches of his best play then I would go for him. Not likely to happen though.

If Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal were all absent then my money would be on Ferrer.

Berdych I think. I prefer the expressiveness of Tsonga's game and love to watch him but of the two, Berdych has quite obviously (to me anyway) got the game to win a major, and he is no stranger to claiming some impressive scalps, he is just temperamently suspect.

I think if Tsonga used his brain he could win a few Slams.

Berdych remember in the US Open beat Federer, and atm is on brilliant form.
So for this Australian Open I'd say Berdych may just have a shot.

Berdych is more likely to win a Slam.

He's matured over the last couple of seasons.

Tsonga is still the same as he was 3-4 years ago. A few excellent performances but many ordinary ones.

Gerry, I personally disagree with you there, I so think Tsonga has become more consistent over the last few years.
His USO 2012 was really bad though.

Doubtful if either can now - OK they have managed a final in the past, but are now approaching 28yrs old which I think maybe just too late in their careers.

Out of the two I personally would favour Tomas, but he does tend to bottle it on the big points, Jo has the game and is an exciting player to watch, but is too inconsistent.

But hey, never say never it could still happen if everything were to fall into place!

Their best chance of a slam win would be if the main protaganists were knocked out early. If that happened I think I'd sooner put my money on Tomas Berdych due to his greater consistency.

Berdych also has a very workmanlike game, which if it is firing is very powerful and very accurate and a winning one. If he is in the zone, he is likely to play frighteningly efficiently all match. Conversely, if he isn't, he won't

Would still much prefer, indeed would love, to see Jo win a major.

BOO, this is the current path for Berdych:

QF-Djokovic
SF-Ferrer
F-Murray/Federer

For Tsonga:
QF-Federer
SF-Murray
F-Djokovic

It Must Be Love wrote:BOO, this is the current path for Berdych:

QF-Djokovic
SF-Ferrer
F-Murray/Federer

For Tsonga:
QF-Federer
SF-Murray
F-Djokovic

IMBL

Tomas - Can't see him getting past Novak, unless he loses both his contact lenses during the match!

Jo - If and a big one he was to get past Roger, having been beaten the last six times by Andy I think it would be seven!

But stranger things have happened.

Tsonga did beat Murray and Nadal in AO 2008.
It's possible.

It Must Be Love wrote:Gerry, I personally disagree with you there, I so think Tsonga has become more consistent over the last few years.
His USO 2012 was really bad though.

I think it's a toss up IMBL.

I just feel since 2010, Berdych had improved mentally vastly. Prior to 2010 you'd fancy Berdych to get eliminated early in at least 3-5 events a season.

That's changed in recent years, excluding Wimbledon 2012 and Olympics.

Berdych is a better bet than Tsonga.

Both inconsistent but Tsonga moreso. Berdych has consistently troubled Federer and Murray. If someone can take out Screech in a slam then Bird will have a sliver of a chance.

It Must Be Love wrote:But at his best isn't Tsonga more explosive?

He is more exciting, nobody is more exciting than Tsonga but Berdych can be so good from the ground off both wings he's more likely to take away the match from an opponent. Tsonga is a bit to up and down, his backhand technique is poor as well.

Out of the two I feel Berdych is the more solid performer thus has a greater chance of getting a slam.

The problem they have is that they can beat any of the top 4 in a match, but can they beat at least two of them in back to back 5 set matches to win a slam?

erictheblueuk wrote:Out of the two I feel Berdych is the more solid performer thus has a greater chance of getting a slam.

The problem they have is that they can beat any of the top 4 in a match, but can they beat at least two of them in back to back 5 set matches to win a slam?

Tsonga at his best could, he needs a repeat of Wimby 2011 first in the QF against Fed.

I'd rather see Daveed win a major than these 2. Both are very flaky mentally but both are capable of beating anyone on their day as they've proven. Neither will win a major.

I think neither has much hope and I think it is pretty close between the two of them, but I would pick Berdych. It just feels like his game - when on - is solid enough to give him a chance against anyone. His main weakness I think is in his head and he seems to have improved somewhat in that regard.

Tsonga's game strikes me as fundamentally more prone to bad patches.

Maybe I would pick Tsonga if surfaces were to speed up a little.

Didn't Berdych beat Screech in W 2010 semi final? and Fed in the quarter final. I may be wrong but if he has then we know he is capable of beating two of the top four in a row.

Agree with Monty, Berdy is more solid off both wings. Tsonga's BH is rubbish 90% of the time and spectacular 10% of the time.

I do think that Tsonga is the better mover though, especially on grass.

If you haven't seen Tsonga's match point, I suggest you watch it because it's absolutely phenomenal.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/video/index.html?tabName=highlights

(You need to click on the Tsonga match below)