When Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired, French fans experienced this event as a real heartbreak. Considered by many as one of the best tennis players of his generation, he has just been the subject of a blunt opinion… from John McEnroe.
Over the last fifteen years, it is difficult to be more emblematic than him in French tennis. Grinta, fiery serve and overpowering forehand… Jo-Wilifried Tsonga is clearly one of the best French players in history and remains the one who has most bothered the members of the Big Three. Many criticize him for the absence of Grand Slams in his record, but it must be said that the era in which he evolved did not help.
Like many, the Manceau suffered the hegemony of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer but was several times able to disturb them. In fact, he even has several legendary victories against them, including the incredible success against the Swiss in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2011. He therefore did not miss much to succeed Yannick Noah and win the one of the most prestigious tournaments.
John McEnroe reveals his thoughts on Tsonga
In 2008, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was very close to realizing his dream since he reached the final of the Australian Open. Against Novak Djokovic, he even managed to win the first set before collapsing afterwards. Once again, a member of the Big Three prevented him from reigning and on the day of his retirement, John McEnroe highlighted this aspect of his magnificent career at the microphone ofEurosport :
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Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, that was the major problem for everyone. You can go down the list of players who could have won Grand Slams, but these three were the greatest of all time. They are incredible tennis players and they manage to stimulate these guys as well. They are honestly three of the greatest athletes of all time.
Jo, it cost him dearly against them. He was a step below. Sure, he could have won one with a bit of luck, just like Monfils or some other guys, but those three are very selfish and greedy!
Receiving the praise of a legend like the American is a great gift as a farewell to the professional circuit.
The frustration of having seen Jo stumble upon one of the members of the Big Three every time he reached the end of a tournament is enormous. Obviously, we would have been curious to see what he could have done in another era, but he is probably already content with having experienced such wonderful epics. Without a Grand Slam, he still managed to thrill the stadiums more than once and will be remembered for eternity…
To this day, which Frenchman has a better career than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in modern tennis? The answer to this question is probably “no one” and the Manceau can be happy about it. In any case, John McEnroe gives him a lot of respect for that.
2023-09-25 20:34:44
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