Former world No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is set to retire at the upcoming Roland Garros. The French veteran will retire from tennis at the home major, has been struggling with injuries in recent years and doesn’t want to push his physique any further.
Jo-Wilfried is currently ranked 220th and he is aware that he cannot make a comeback towards the top 20 or top 30 if he turns 37 in ten days. Jo-Wilfried is currently ranked 220th and is aware that he cannot make a comeback towards the top 20 or top 30 as he turns 37 in ten days.
Supported by his family, Tsonga has decided to give up his beloved sport and start a new chapter of his life off the court, where he already runs a tennis academy. Jo-Wilfried has 121 wins at Majors and the same at the Masters 1000, losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open final and claiming two Masters 1000 crowns.
Tsonga has won 18 ATP titles from 30 Finals and two notable trophies for his country, the Davis Cup and the Hopman Cup. Known as one of the most formidable opponents when his game is on, Tsonga has 45 top 10 wins under his belt and 16 triumphs over Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Jo-Wilfried suffered a horrific knee injury in Montpellier in February 2018 and retired from the top-100 eight months later. Tsonga started over in early 2019, reaching the Brisbane semifinals and conquering Montpellier, the same event that ruined his career 12 months earlier.
After Lyon and Roland Garros, Tsonga claimed four wins on grass courts before a mediocre swing on North American hard courts. Returning to Europe after an early loss at the US Open, the Frenchman conquered Cassic Challenger and an ATP title in Metz, securing enough points to crack the top-40 and continue his progression.
In front of a partisan crowd at the Paris Masters, Jo-Wilfried reached the quarterfinals and found himself in the top 30 for the first time since February 2018.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will retire this spring in Paris
He finished the season 11th.
times in the selected group in the past 12 years and was nominated for Comeback Player of the Year. Still, more health problems were just around the corner, and Jo-Wilfried has been struggling with a back injury since early 2020.
He suffered early losses in Doha and Melbourne and skipped the rest of the year. Eager to climb back up, Tsonga competed in eight tournaments in 2021 and picked up just one win before another break after Wimbledon.
Jo-Wilfried won two matches at home in Montpellier and Marseille in 2022. He’ll be chasing more of those at his 15th Roland Garros, hoping to find form for the final tournament of his career and showing his fighting spirit as always.
“Every day for several years, there’s at least one moment when I’m like, ‘What am I doing? Why am I hurting like this? Is there another reason for me to bother?’ My head tells me I can play all my life.
At the same time, my body is reminding me that my ability to surpass myself is gone. That’s why I decided to retire with my home major at Roland Garros.
This will be my fifteenth Roland Garros and this tournament represents everything I’ve done in my career. I hope to stay in shape over the next few weeks and be able to be who I’ve always been at this tournament.
The goal is to be me, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the tennis player. I like to perform well; I always wanted to play well and aim high. This will be the opportunity to do it one last time.
I have decided that I must retire at a time that I choose and when I am still able to compete,” said Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
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