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Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, left , receives a plaque from Gael Monfils during his retirement ceremony.
In tears and diminished by physical problems, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 37, closed the almost two decades of career in the elite with a loss in the first round against the Norwegian Kasper Ruud (eighth in the world), who beat by 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2 and 7-6 (0) in three hours and 49 minutes.
Tsonga, who was number 5 in the world, finalist of the Australian Open in 2008, winner of the Davis Cup in 2017 and winner of 18 ATP titles -including two Masters 1,000-, said goodbye. with a defeat that sold face witnessed by the thousands of spectators gathered on the main court of Roland Garros, the Philippe Chatrier.
At the farewell ceremony, held on the pitch, were, among other authorities, the new Minister of Sports of France, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the president of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moretton, so like his parents, wife and two daughters.
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French tennis players of his generation also attended the tribute, such as Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon. And other younger ones, like Benjamin Bonzi or Benoit Paire.
Professional for 18 years, the Le Mans tennis player was currently number 220 in the world and has not won an ATP title since 2019.
“In my life I have had to deal with those who told me that I would never amount to anything. I demonstrated the opposite & quot ;, she said as I read a prepared speech, with which she tried & oacute; He held back his emotion.
Tsonga spoke up. of his complex relationship with the media, whom he thanked for for helping him grow. “One day he was a hero, another a villain, another day he was a white man, another a black son of a Congolese,” he recalled. the tennis player, who assured What changed him the most? life was being a father.
The three greats of world tennis, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, left a recorded video message talking about the “charisma” of Tsonga and thanking the contribution he gave to the world of tennis.
the French Federation, several of the great moments of the 1,002 games in the professional circuit of Tsonga were remembered, among them his victories against the “big three”.