France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has announced that he will retire from professional tennis after this year’s French Open.
The former Australian Open runner-up is hoping to put the final touches on an injury-plagued 18 year-career in front of his home crowd.
In a video posted on YouTube, Tsonga admitted that he’s been considering retirement for a few years now, especially after his knee surgery in 2018 and back issues last season.
The 36-year-old Frenchman was once ranked No. 5 in the world during his heyday in 2012 but has dropped to No. 220 following his latest lengthy injury layoff. That means he cannot automatically enter the main draw at Roland Garros through his ranking and will have to rely on being granted a wild-card entry by organizers.
He becomes the first member of a gifted generation of French players that emerged nearly 20 years ago -which also includes Gaël Monfils, Richard Gasquet, and Gilles Simon- to call it a day.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is arguably the best of that lot as he reached the semifinals twice at the French Open, in 2013 and 2015 but his 15th French Open appearance will be his last.
He has won 18 ATP titles and made it to the Australian Open final in 2008 where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
He earned a combined 16 wins against the Big Three of Roger Federer (6), Rafael Nadal (4), and Novak Djokovic (6).
In 2017, he also helped France win its first Davis Cup title in 16 years.
The French Open starts on May 22 in Paris.
