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France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said that finishing his career in front of his home fans at the French Open was special and revealed he enjoyed his career and the journey that lasted nearly two decades. Tsonga, who turned professional in 2004, ended his career on Tuesday following a four-set defeat to Casper Ruud in the French Open first round.
Tsonga, who received a wildcard into the French Open, fought extremely hard against Ruud but the Norwegian won 6-7 (5) 7-6 (4) 6-2 7-6 (0). Tsonga broke Ruud in the 11th game of the fourth set but also suffered a shoulder injury in the final moment of the game and he wasn't able to do much in the rest of the match.
Ruud easily broke back Tsonga in the 12th game to force a tie-break, which he dominated to complete a four-set win. "My biggest emotion was all along the match and after. It was just amazing the way the crowd gave me the power to fight.
I didn't finished the way I wanted to finish, but I did it on the court, running after the ball, like in my career," Tsonga said, per Tennis Majors.
Tsonga (in English) : "My biggest emotion was all along the match and after.
It was just amazing the way the crowd gave me the power to fight. I didn't finished the way I wanted to finish, but I did it on the court, running after the ball, like in my career." #RolandGarros — Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) May 24, 2022
Tsonga on his career
Tsonga described tennis court as a place where he was able to fully express himself.
"In real life, it's hard to be intense. You don't want to shock, you don't want to be rude, you act to be nice, sociable. On the court, you can express your fever, you can express everything about you. It's sometimes freeing," Tsonga explained.
Tsonga enjoyed many great moments throughout his career but there were also lows and heartbreaking defeats.Tsonga : "In real life, it's hard to be intense. You don't want to shock, you don't want to be rude, you act to be nice, sociable. On the court, you can express your fever, you can express everything about you. It's sometimes freeing." #RolandGarros — Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) May 24, 2022
Now reflecting on his career, Tsonga says he enjoyed his journey. "All the journey was nice and good to live, even the difficult moments. I can't say one day is better than another. The more important was to live this with people around me and be able to share the happiness and the sadness," Tsonga added.
Tsonga : "All the journey was nice and good to live, even the difficult moments. I can't say one day is better than another. The more important was to live this with people around me and be able to share the happiness and the sadness." #RolandGarros — Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) May 24, 2022
