Fans give Tsonga emotional sendoff
PARIS — Much as he wanted to avoid tears, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga simply could not. And, he said later, he knew he would not. So they flowed freely during the final moments of his final match at the French Open, the final singles match of his professional tennis career, and he wiped them away with the black sweatband on his left wrist.
They weren’t there because of the right shoulder that was so painful he couldn’t properly swing his racket by the end of a 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (0) loss to No. 8 seed Casper Ruud on Tuesday in Court Philippe Chatrier. They were there because he knows he’s done trying to win matches, done hearing the supportive roars from spectators, done experiencing the highs and lows of a professional tennis career that featured a spot at No. 5 in the rankings, a run to the 2008 Australian Open final and France’s first Davis Cup title in 16 years — but also a series of injuries.
He’s been limited to a total of 18 matches since the start of 2021, turned 37 last month, has a family now and knew this trip to Roland Garros would be the perfect way to bid adieu.
“It was pure madness today. One of the best atmospheres I have seen in my career (for) my last match. I couldn’t have asked for something better,” Tsonga said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better script, apart from the fact that I could have won.”
He appeared to have a chance to extend the match by breaking to go up 6-5 in the fourth set. But at the end of that game, he wrenched his shoulder, and that was that. Ruud quickly broke back, and Tsonga was visited by a trainer, who tried to help the situation but could not. During a three-minute medical timeout, a band in the stands got fans to clap and chant “Jo! Jo!” to the rhythm of a drumbeat, then played “La Marseillaise” as some in the seats sang along to France’s national anthem.
When play resumed, Tsonga could barely even serve, tapping the ball at barely more than 60 mph — less than half as fast as the booming offerings he was known for — and even tried hitting one shot left-handed as the tiebreaker ended in a shutout. No matter. The locals gave Tsonga a prolonged standing ovation, and he went up near the net, knelt and rested his forehead on the ground, creating a splotch of the rust-colored clay on his face.
Asked later what he’ll miss the most as he leaves the sport, he replied: “The adrenaline, stepping on a big court like this one. Adrenaline you can feel when you have 15,000 people shouting your name.”
It all offered the most compelling moments of Day 3, which included first-round victories in the men’s bracket for U.S Open champion Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev and No. 24 Frances Tiafoe, who had been 0-6 at Roland Garros.
Danish teenager Holger Rune eliminated No. 14 Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
Women who advanced to the second round included 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2018 champion Simona Halep, No. 9 Danielle Collins, No. 11 Jessica Pegula and No. 22 Madison Keys.
Tsonga leaves with 121 wins in Grand Slam matches, a record for a French man.
It’s a tough time for tennis in the land of the French Open: For the first time since 1980, there were zero men or women from the country seeded in the tournament.
At a glance
LOOKAHEAD TO WEDNESDAY: The star-studded top half of the men’s bracket moves into the second round on Day 4 at Roland Garros, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz all on the schedule. Defending champ Djokovic faces Alex Molcan at Court Suzanne Lenglen, 13-time champ Nadal will close the day in Court Philippe Chatrier in the night session by facing Corentin Moutet, and 19-year-old Alcaraz, who’s seeded sixth and leads the tour with four titles in 2022, meets Albert Ramos-Vinolas at Court Simonne-Mathieu. No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev is also due to play, taking on Sebastian Baez in Chatrier in the afternoon. The most intriguing women’s matchup will follow in the main stadium: 2019 U.S. Open champ Bianca Andreescu against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic.
TUESDAY’S KEY RESULTS
Women’s first round:
No. 3 Paola Badosa beat Fiona Ferro 6-2, 6-0; No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka beat Chloe Paquet 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; No. 11 Jessica Pegula beat Qiang Wang 6-2, 6-4;
No. 19 Simona Halep beat Nastasja Schunk 6-4, 1-6, 6-1. Men’s first round: No. 2 Daniil Medvedev beat Facundo
Bagnis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Lorenzo Musetti 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 No. 8 Casper Ruud beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (0);
Holger Rune beat No. 14 Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (4).