How Tsongu spent his last Roland Garros.

Latest tennis player Roland Garros news

The 2021/2022 season turned out to be eventful and interesting in the field of tennis. Roland Garros gave the fans a lot of surprises, some of them not very pleasant.

The open championship in France began on May 22, gathering millions of professional tennis connoisseurs at the TV screens and in the stands. Once again, the best of the best perform on the courts of France, showing a masterful extra-class game.

In the women’s tournament, the winner is already known. It’s Iga Swiatek, the first racket in the world. In the finals, her American colleague Cori Gauff suffered a crushing defeat with a score of 1:6; 3:6.

The men’s final is scheduled for June 5. Roland Garros is a 13-time Rafael Nadal champion. His opponent will be Casper Ruud, a young and talented tennis player. Even though Nadal is recognized as the favourite of the meeting, Ruud is quite capable of rebuffing.

Sports betting enthusiasts are offered to bet on the victory of Nadal at odds close to 1.15. It is hard to believe in Ruud’s victory, and therefore the odds are 5.4.

A few days before the start of the French tournament, 37-year-old Jo-Wilfried Tsonga told the whole world about his decision to end his sports career. The news did not come as a complete surprise to those who follow the main events in the world of tennis. Tsonga has long complained that numerous injuries sustained in 18 years on the tennis court are taking their toll.

Adorable Bear Tsongu

In the world of big-time sports, you rarely meet a person whom even rivals speak of with sincere respect and gratitude. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the embodiment of a whole era that is gone for many fans.

For all 18 years of his professional career, not a single negative word was heard from the staff. He’s polite with colleagues and staff, a good family man, and a true master of his craft.

His colleagues gave him the gentle nickname Bear for his easy-going personality and smile. With a height of 188 cm, he perfectly controls his body. At every opportunity, Tsonga performs his signature thumbs-up dance.

But in his professional career, he did not show much stability. Tips on how to avoid mistakes in sports betting often mention not choosing sportsmen with the unpredictable game.

Jo grew up in a friendly sports family: his father played handball, and his younger brother played basketball. He started playing tennis when he turned 7. He began his professional career in 2004 with a victory over Carlos Moya in Beijing. A few months later, he made his debut in the Masters series, Paris. The following year, he appeared at the Roland Garros tournament, where he could not go beyond the first round.

In the 2006/2007 season, he suffered 4 serious injuries, so he did not participate in all competitions. Despite health problems, in 2008, the Frenchman managed to reach the final of the Australian Open. However, he failed to get the title of the winner, as Novak Djokovic left Jo behind with a score of 6:4; 4:6; 3:6; 6:7.

In the same year, Tsonga received an invitation to the French team at the Davis Cup. Thanks to the effective game, Jo was ranked 7th in the top 10 ranking at the end of 2008.

Surprisingly, in his entire playing career, Tsonga never became the champion of a single Grand Slam tournament. He has 22 victories in the ATP tournaments, the Hopman Cup in 2014, the Davis Cup in 2017, and a victory in the tennis tournament of the Olympic Games.

His maximum is participation in the final of the Australian Open in 2008, the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2013. Jo himself is very calm about his failures. According to him, he did everything in his power. For him, the title of champion has never been a cherished dream. Rather, just another goal on the professional path.

Saying goodbye to Jo-Wilfried

French fans have always been in awe of their favourite, even if he did not always please them with outstanding achievements in the professional field. This happened at the last Grand Slam tournament in Jo’s career. A couple of days before the start of Roland Garros, he made an official statement about his retirement from tennis.
The opinions of experts on this topic differ. Some sports observers claim that this decision relates to the three most powerful tennis players on the planet. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray are the representatives of the top-class game, and it is almost impossible for them to compete. So, Jo decided to leave the battlefield before he was forced to do so.
On the other hand, it is impossible to ignore the state of health of the 37-year-old athlete. For several years he has been fighting sickle cell anaemia with mixed success. Intense fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, and decreased focus have become too much of an obstacle to success. And chronic injuries began to bother the tennis player more and more often. For example, he played the last game with an injured right shoulder.
Tsonga came out to his last match with tears in his eyes. He got a young and ambitious Norwegian Kasper Ruud as a rival. Before this, the athletes were not officially acquainted, but Kasper repeatedly said at press conferences that Jo-Wilfried had once been an example of perseverance and skill for him.
The miracle did not happen: the Frenchman let the opponent go ahead, having been defeated in the 1st round of the tournament. The match ended with the score 7:6; 6:7; 2:6; 6:7. At the end of the game, both athletes sincerely embraced with smiles on their faces.
The stands chanted his name, and at the end of the game they dragged out Marseillaise’s name. His relatives and friends came to support the athlete. Former coaches and physiotherapists even changed into T-shirts with the inscription Merci Jo for this occasion.
Star colleagues did not stand aside either. The Big Three recorded a video in which they express regret over the current situation and wish Jo to have a good time on a well-deserved rest.