At Roland-Garros, Tsonga’s last lap of honor

He left through the largest doors, that of the central court of Roland-Garros. After a long match of almost 4 hours, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said goodbye to tennis. A few weeks ago, the former fifth player in the world announced on video his intention to end his career. And it was in France, at home, that “Jo” said goodbye to his audience, offering a match in the image of his incredible career: flamboyant, explosive, but also undermined by a capricious physique. Everything had started well for the French against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, 8^th global. Motivated by a heated public, Tsonga outsmarted his opponent in the first set, chaining exceptional shots to make the player he was in the past pale. Carried by the incredible atmosphere of the Philippe-Chatrier court, by the trumpets, the clappings and the Marseillaise sung loudly, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, down to the 267th place in the world, took to dreaming. He, the 37-year-old player, could he beat his young opponent of 23 years?

With the public, this Tuesday, he was one. Each of his points, each of Casper Ruud’s fouls, each of the arbitration decisions sent shivers down the spine of the spectators at the Porte d’Auteuil. Whistling at the limit of fair play sometimes? Without a doubt. But the main thing was elsewhere and Casper Ruud did not hold it against them. The young man, who was only 9 years old when Tsonga arrived in the Australian Open final, managed to forget the public’s bronca and stay focused. So much so that he grabbed two following sets, before starting the fourth, with full confidence. The Frenchman, however, had every intention of keeping the suspense going and giving himself a few more minutes on this clay court he loves so much, with the hope of a fifth set in mind. The feat was within reach. But when he had just offered himself the game of his opponent, his physique, the same one that made him suffer so much in the past, unfortunately came to call him to order. Embarrassed in the shoulder, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to call the physiotherapist. Something to rehash again this famous question he was talking about in the video announcing his retirement: “There is a moment in the day when I say to myself” What am I doing, why am I hurting myself like this, is there still a reason for me to make all this effort?”

After the short medical break, the case was finally closed for the Norwegian. And as the last games followed, the emotion won over the Frenchman as the public began to chant “Thank you Jo! Thank you !”. In each of his final points, fatigue was visible on his face. In 3 hours 49, Casper Ruud ended up winning (7-6, 6-7, 2-6, 6-7). The result, however, is only anecdotal. As soon as the match ended, the public stood up, applauding for long minutes a Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who could not hold back his tears after putting his hands on the ground, as if to feel the Parisian clay one last time.

“I don’t want to talk about the match today, I want to talk about Jo,” reacted the Norwegian after the game. “It’s hard and sad for all the players that you stop. Thanks for all the memories. You were an inspiration,” he told her. “In the past, you beat Rafa (Nadal, editor’s note) who was my favorite player,” he added with humor. “I was sad, but I got to know you and you were the best example of what a player should be. It’s been an honor to watch you grow.” The tribute did not stop there. His former coaches, his parents, his brothers and sisters, his friends, his fellow tennis players, from Gasquet to Monfils, all took to the court to give a standing ovation to this musketeer who wrote one of the finest pages in French sport.

Surrounded by his children and his wife, the winner of the Davis Cup in 2017 watched with emotion as his opponents yesterday greeted his career. In video, Novak Djokovic honored a “super guy”. “It’s a great loss for tennis. You have brought a lot to our sport thanks to your charisma and your personality. I wish you the best,” he commented. “We will miss you, I wish you the best with your family,” said Roger Federer in the same video.

When speaking at the microphone, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said he had “prepared a text, because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to say a word”. After thanking “the people who allowed Jo, the little kid who dreamed of, to become a tennis player”, he admitted to having been “lucky to be supported by wonderful parents”. From his friends to his coaches who “supported him even in my biggest stupidities”, “Jo” has not forgotten anyone, not even the media who made his life sometimes so difficult. “I was not prepared to deal with all of this. I did not experience the media game well”, he said, evoking with irony the attacks on the famous “French mentality”. But by his own admission, the critics helped him grow, “and learn resilience and second degree.” “I tried to do the best I could,” he continued, paying a final tribute to his racket, the one that was his “best friend” for so long, and to “Mister tennis”. “The adventure of tennis is great. I like you”. Jo, tennis says thank you, and have a good trip.