French tennis chiefs were on Thursday weighing up whether to give veteran player Jo-Wilfred Tsonga an invitation to play in the French Open so he can say farewell to the international circuit at his home tournament in May.
The former French number one announced on Wednesday night that he would like to retire from the sport after the French Open in Paris where he twice reached the last four.
Injuries have wrecked the latter part of his life on the tour and from a career-high ranking of number five in 2012, he has plummeted to 220 in the world.
That lowly status means he cannot enter the main draw at the French Open automatically through his ranking and will have to rely on organisers granting him a wild-card – an invitation – into the first round.
"This is the last thrill," Tsonga said in a video posted on social media. “This will be my 15th Roland. I hope that I will stay fit before and be able to be the one I have always been in that tournament."
Tsonga's best results at the French Open – nicknamed Roland Garros – came in 2013 when he lost in the semi-final to the Spaniard David Ferrer and two years later at the same stage when Stan Wawrinka beat him.
18 - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won 18 ATP titles in his career, only Yannick Noah (23) won more among the 🇫🇷 players in the Open era. Retired. pic.twitter.com/GN1hJM3hcw
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) April 6, 2022
Success
During his 18 years on the circuit, he won 18 ATP tournaments including two Masters 1000 crowns – considered just below the four Grand Slam tournaments in terms of prestige.
The harvest made him the second most successful French player since tennis entered its so-called Open era and became a professional sport in 1969.
Tsonga's move makes him the first member of the quatre mousquetaires to retire.
He – along with Gaël Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon – were in a talented generation of men to reach the world's top 10 and feature frequently in the latter stages of the leading tournaments.
However, none have claimed a Grand Slam trophy. Tsonga reached the 2008 Australian Open final but lost to Novak Djokovic.
In 2017, he and his contemporaries combined to win the men's national team tournament the Davis Cup. It was the country's first title in 16 years.
"The decision to retire will take the weight off my shoulders," Tsonga told the French sports newspaper L'Equipe. "It will be the Jo-Wilfried of the 2010s! the player who went for it on the court.
"For the remaining few months I want to be the fighter and the real Jo-Wilfried Tsonga."
