There’s no two ways about it, this 28-year-old Frenchman is dashing. In interviews he comes across quiet and humble, but he is anything but on the tennis court. Fitting that he should have been born in Le Mans, France. The city that plays host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports-car race and has done so since 1923. He moves around the court like a sports-car.
He is known for aggressive groundstrokes, has a powerful forehand, and can hit both a one and two-handed backhand. But he is not one to hold back and be content standing along the baseline.
He made the tennis world stand up and take notice when he reached the final of the 2008 Australian Open, as an unseeded player. He had to beat four seeded players to do it.
In the semifinals he beat Nadal, who was seeded #2, in straight sets. And while he lost to Djokovic (seeded #3), in the finals, he took the first set, which was the only set Djokovic lost the entire tournament.
Explosive and entertaining, he is always fun to watch.
He is not afraid to come to the net, to mix up his style of play and is one of the few players who will serve and volley.
That makes him a gambler. And a sexy one at that.
Enter Rhett Butler.
He knows who he is and he knows what he wants.
He’s an unapologetic rogue. A charming scoundrel with a smile that can make you forgive almost anything.
But he is not without honor. He joins the Confederate Army even though it’s a lost cause. And he knows a real lady when he sees one. He respects and admires Melanie Hamilton-Wilkes. When Melanie looks at Rhett she sees a kinder, gentler man.
He has his own Southern Scallywag Version of nobility.
Jo-Willie Tsonga had to bow out of Wimbledon due to injury. So we’ll have to do without his unique flair and style for the next week. But as I said before, he’s not one to hang around the baseline for too long. He’ll be back to serve his love game, skipping around the court as though he were kissing it.
As Rhett said to Scarlett, “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.”