There was a moment, albeit a fleeting one, during Jo-Wilfred Tsonga’s final match of his career when you thought that the 37-year-old may defy the odds and win. Indeed, roared on by his home crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, Tsonga played up to his adoring French fans with an electric display of athleticism and bravado that turned the clock back one final time. Alas, when the adrenaline wore off and with the oxygen sucked out of the partisan French crowd, Casper Ruud began to grind Tsonga down.
Ruud, who is 14 years Tsonga’s junior and a player who is, tellingly, yet to truly find his feet in the professional game as the latest betting on tennis shows with the Norwegian at odds of 60/1 to win Wimbledon, still proved far too much for the aging Frenchman.
When the final forehand was hit to bring the curtain down on Tsonga’s career, there wasn’t a dry eye in the stands as one of France’s favorite tennis sons bowed out.
The curtain comes down 😢@CasperRuud98 ends Tsonga’s farewell tour with a 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-2, 7-6(0) opening round victory.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/jOA3HxObxG
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 24, 2022
Yes, the overriding sadness was down to the fact that Tsonga would not appear again on the professional circuit but just underneath that, there was an uncomfortable recognition that this talented player would retire without having won a single Grand Slam.
Tsonga is, of course, a victim of the era that he has played in, having never been able to topple the Big Three in the semi-finals and indeed finals he has appeared at. The closest the Frenchman got was in 2008 when he made the final at the Australian Open only to lose to Novak Djokovic. Crucially, the Serb was just 20 at the time and did not have the confidence or momentum he has built over the last 14 years but still, Tsonga was unable to drive home the advantage.
It was a defeat that, at the time, wasn’t seen as overly significant but looking back, one can say with a degree of certainty that it set in motion a trend that Tsonga was never truly able to overcome. Perhaps this was why there was such an outpouring of emotion at Roland-Garros when Tsonga bowed out for the last time.
It should be pointed out that there is no shame in not having been able to overcome the challenge of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic as most players who have competed in this era will retire without a Grand Slam to their name.
Indeed, out of the last 65 Grand Slams that have been played, the Big Three have hoovered up 55 titles with only ten slams being shared among the rest of the men’s tour since 2006. There have, to put it mildly, been slim pickings on offer, and Tsonga, an extremely fine tennis player in his own right, has paid the price for breaking into the professional game when he did.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ends his career with a 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 2-6, 6-7() defeat to Casper Ruud.
But not without a reminder of some of the ebullience and brilliance that made it so memorable.
And the heart 💔 pic.twitter.com/kFqhMmxsiz
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) May 24, 2022
With that said, the world of tennis will remember the flamboyant Frenchman jumping through the air, hitting booming forehands, and always giving it everything he could over the course of 18 admirable years on tour.
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