Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Will He Be the One To Break Up the "Big 4" in 2012?

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has advanced to the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Masters event in Paris this week, continuing the solid run this fall that has already brought him a pair of titles. The road to this title, however, still likely means encounters with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray or Roger Federer. 

It appears that, with the confidence Tsonga has displayed in his matches in 2011, he is up to the challenge. But will he be able to build upon the momentum he's generated, carry it into 2012 and dislodge one of the above players—or Rafael Nadal—from their "Big Four" status?

Back in 2008, after his run to the Australian Open finals (losing to Djokovic), it seemed as if Tsonga was going to be a slam-winning contender for years to come. Staying on the court has been an issue for the Frenchman since that time, though, as he's had to deal with a range of injuries. Each time he's bounced back, something else has cropped up to further deter his progress.

But, as seen by some of his results this year, it's obvious that when Tsonga's in the draw, he is a force. Here are some of the highlights:

—A semifinal and final appearance in two of his first three tournaments at the start of the year.

—A strong grass-court season, in which he made the finals of the Queen's Club tournament in London and the semifinals of Wimbledon. At the All-England Club, he stormed back from two sets down to defeat one of the best grass-court players of all time, Roger Federer.

—A run to the quarterfinals of the year's final major, the U.S. Open.

—Victories in two of his five tournaments prior in the indoor events in Vienna and Metz, France.

As his results show, fast courts favor Tsonga's powerful game. He's never made much of an impact on clay, but is one of the most dangerous players in the world when indoors, on a hard court or on grass.

But will that be enough to help him overtake Djokovic, Nadal, Murray or Federer? He actually has a winning head-to-head record against world No. 1 Djokovic; however, he's a combined 6-16 against the other three.

Still, if Tsonga can stay healthy and maintain his current form, you would have to like his chances. He gets to prove himself in Paris and in two weeks at the year-end championships. Emerging as the winner in either event would have to be a major boon for his confidence, giving him the belief that he could soon be among the ATP's "Big Four."