Former top 10 player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga remains on course to return to competitive tennis at the end of this month after being sidelined from action due to a knee injury.
The 33-year-old Frenchman hasn’t played a competitive match since withdrawing from his semi-final match at the Montpellier Open in February. Earlier this year the former Australian Open finalist underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. The meniscus is a cartilage between the surface of the joint. Forcing him to miss three consecutive grand slam tournaments for the first time in his career.
Despite the setback, Tsonga is set to play at the Open d’Orléans. A challenger tournament in France that will start on September 24th. It will be Tsonga’s first appearance on the Challenger circuit since 2007.
“For the moment, I’m fine, I’m crossing my fingers.” Tsonga told France Bleu.
“I am preparing myself quietly to resume the competition so I hope that I will be able to be do so in the coming weeks and that I will be able to resume the course of my career.”
Saying that he is now ‘pain-free,’ Tsonga is hoping for a swift climb up the rankings. Due to his absence, he is currently ranked 73rd in the world. This week the Frenchman has increased the intensity in his training sessions. An approach that has been done to evaluate his current fitness levels.
“This week, it’s going to be the last test for me because I’m really doing the very big sessions a lot of time on the court and a lot of practice sets.” He explained.
“And at the end of this week, if everything continues to go well, I will be able to resume competition.”
Looking ahead to Orléans, winning the title isn’t the priority for the French veteran. Whose career currently consists of 16 ATP titles and 40 appearances in the main draw of a grand slam. Instead, he is hoping to regain some consistency on the court.
“For me the goal is to return to a level a little lower than I have had the last ten years to try to win several matches in a row.” Tsonga outlined.
“Then I would like to find my rhythm because the most difficult thing about tennis is not to win a game but to get to win several in a row and especially in a week where we play almost every day.”
It is unclear as to what Tsonga’s schedule is beyond Orléans. Although the organisers of the European Open have confirmed that he will play in their event, which will get underway on October 15th. Tsonga is the defending champion of the tournament.
UPDATE: Tsonga will return to action at the Moselle Open in Metz.
