Jo-Wilfried Tsonga says playing his first round match at the French Open in front of fans has given him a ‘boost’ but admits that retirement from the sport may not be too far away.
The 36-year-old took to the Court Suzanne Lenglen on Monday evening to play Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Despite putting up a valiant fight the Frenchman was ousted 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5). Cheered on by the crowd Tsonga produced 37 winners against 36 unforced errors before crashing out of his home Grand Slam in what was his 12th main draw appearance there.
“(I’m) Disappointed to have lost. I would have liked to push him into a fifth set and go see what’s going on there. But I am also satisfied. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve managed to develop a game that comes a little closer to what I’m capable of doing,” Tsonga told reporters.
“However, it remains a defeat at Roland Garros and it is always heartbreaking to go out of there in the first round.’
“After all these hardships, it would have been nice to be rewarded a little. I try to continue to work and I hope that at some point things will smile a little more to me and that I will manage to find a little more physical capacity.”
At his high Tsonga was consistently ranked inside the top 20 for a decade until 2018 when injury struck. In a recent interview with The Guardian he spoke about his chronic back condition which is linked to calcified ligaments that can cause inflammation and other issues. The injury resulted in him missing 14 months of the Tour before returning in March.
Now approaching the closing stages of his career, Tsonga’s latest experience at the French Open was also bittersweet. His match was scheduled at the end of the day and continued after the local curfew. Meaning that he finished what may have been his final match at Roland Garros in silence as fans had to leave the venue.
“It was touching. It gave me little chills and I couldn’t help but smile at them (the crowd). I’m glad I got to taste this again,” he said.
“Afterwards, it is true that the situation was funny, when everyone had to go right in the middle (of the match) and no one wanted to do it. They were all there: “Do something, Jo!” But I couldn’t do anything … It was sad.”
In the short-term Tsonga is optimistic that he will feel more comfortable on the grass following his recent performance in Paris. As for the long-term, he admits himself that he doesn’t know what the future has in store. Acknowledging that it is possible this year’s French Open might have been his last.
“I can’t assure anything at all,” he replied when asked if he would be returning to Roland Garros. “The thing that is certain is that if I do not win a lot of matches, I will be quite far in the standings. There is the desire, and the reality of things. It will be time to make decisions if I no longer fit into this kind of tournament.”
Tsonga reached the final of the 2008 Australian Open and has won 18 ATP titles so far in his career.
