Adieu, Jo: French salute injured, retiring Tsonga
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 were not 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 is 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.
What awaits Tsonga now? He said he’ll need to have medical tests Wednesday on his shoulder, which he said was in bad enough shape he couldn’t hold his baby.
But Tsonga took pride from playing — well, trying to play — until the end, rather than conceding the match.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the way I want to finish, but I finished on the court, playing like I did all my career, running after the ball,” Tsonga said. “It was emotional for me. And anyway, it’s going to stay a good moment in my head. Yeah, in a way, I finished like I wanted to finish.”