Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said he will retire from tennis after this year’s French Open.© AFP
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a former Australian Open runner-up and number five in the world, said on Wednesday that he will retire from tennis after this year’s French Open. “A few weeks ago, I decided that I would retire from Roland Garros this year,” said 36-year-old Tsonga in a social media video. “It took me a long time to make this decision,” the Frenchman added. “My body tells me ‘you can’t go beyond what I give you’.” Tsonga, unseeded, lost the 2008 Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic as the Serb claimed the first of his 20 Grand Slam titles.
He reached the semifinals twice at both the French Open and Wimbledon and finished second to Roger Federer at the ATP Finals in 2011.
Tsonga earned Olympic silver in men’s doubles alongside Michael Llodra in London 2012 and was part of France’s Davis Cup triumph in 2017.
He also won two Masters titles – in Paris in 2008 and Toronto in 2014.
However, his struggle with a number of different injuries in recent years has seen his ranking drop to 220.
He won just one tour-level match last season before ending it early after a first-round loss at Wimbledon.
Tsonga returned to action in Montpellier in February, with a view to planning the latter stages of his career.
promoted
“I decided I had to stop at a time of my choosing, a time when I could get on the track,” he said.
“I’ve always set myself high goals to try and get what I can. For me, this is the chance to do it one last time.”
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