Tsonga was number five in the world and a finalist at Wimbledon in 2008, with eighteen titles on his resume. Photo: Getty.
The Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga, who was number five in the world and a Wimbledon finalist in 2008, with eighteen titles on his resume, said goodbye to the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000 by losing in the first round to the Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2 and 6- two.
The Le Mans tennis player, close to turning 37, will no longer play for the Monegasque club, which he stepped on for the tenth time with the scent of farewell. Tsonga, who became the great hope of French tennis, days ago announced the expiration of his career. He will hang up the racket after Roland Garros.
Until then, the Frenchman, who reached two semifinals in Monte Carlo, in 2013 and 2016, has already set his route. The ‘challenger’ of Aix en Provence, the tournament of Lyon and Roland Garros. After that, nothing more.
Weighed down by injuries in the last stretch of his career, with a genetic disease that affects red blood cells and causes great fatigue, which is added to problems in the vertebrae, knees and back, Tsonga assumes his change of life.
He was not able to extend his presence in Monte Carlo. He fell to Cilic for a double 6-2 in just seventy minutes. He doesn’t give him the game or the body for more, against a rival who is also a veteran, with whom he had already met nine times, of which he was only victorious twice.
Cilic beat him for the eighth time. Later he went to the network, greeted him and gave him the leading role, knowing that it was his farewell. The public that half occupied the track of the Monegasque club applauded the player.
Still, Tsonga’s journey is remarkable. Former number 5 in the world, he retires with eighteen titles, including two Masters 1,000 and a Davis Cup. Since 2017, injuries have conditioned him.
Meanwhile, Cilic continues in Monte Carlo, where he has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals. The winner of the clash between the American Taylor Fritz, tenth favorite, and the Monegasque Lucas Catarina will be measured in the second round.
