Virginie Phulpin 07:26, May 25, 2022
Every day, the morning of Europe 1 returns to one of the sporting events which makes the news.
This Wednesday, Virginie Phulpin looks back on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's farewell to Roland-Garros.
After his defeat in the first round of the fortnight, he retired.
There it is, it's finished. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played his last tennis match yesterday at Roland-Garros. He lost in 4 sets to Casper Ruud in the first round. By offering us a summary of this fabulous career that lasted 18 years.
We often compare the retirement of an athlete to a small death.
And there, as this announced end approached, we saw the exceptional career of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pass before our eyes.
First during the game.
A perfect summary of these 18 years racket in hand.
The Frenchman arrived for his last Roland Garros without any real bearings, with his tennis gradually evaporating.
Facing him, Casper Ruud, 9th in the world.
Suffice to say that we expected a last anecdotal appearance.
And there, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga offered us the full panoply of his past greatness.
An overpowered serve that flirts with or exceeds 200 kilometers per hour, a devastating forehand that sends the opponent into the ropes, and this intact will to fight on all shots, to give everything on a court.
With a smile as a bonus,
and his requests for encouragement to the public in total communion.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed to put stars back in our eyes by taking us back in time to browse his 121 grand slam victories, his winning fights against the monsters Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, to remind us of his Olympic medal and his Davis Cup victory with the Blues.
For 3h30, we thought he was going to be able to push back the limits of time.
The 5th set stretched out his arms before the physical glitches caught up with him.
And that too is symbolic, for a player who so often saw injuries break his momentum at the start of his career.
Like a full circle with panache.
A little guy who wanted to play tennis, who electrified courts around the world, and who is leaving through the front door.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed to put stars back in our eyes by taking us back in time to browse his 121 grand slam victories, his winning fights against the monsters Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, to remind us of his Olympic medal and his Davis Cup victory with the Blues.
For 3h30, we thought he was going to be able to push back the limits of time.
The 5th set stretched out his arms before the physical glitches caught up with him.
And that too is symbolic, for a player who so often saw injuries break his momentum early in his career.
Like a full circle with panache.
A little guy who wanted to play tennis, who electrified the courts around the world, and who leaves through the front door.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed to put stars back in our eyes by taking us back in time to browse his 121 grand slam victories, his winning fights against the monsters Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, to remind us of his Olympic medal and his Davis Cup victory with the Blues.
For 3h30, we thought he was going to be able to push back the limits of time.
The 5th set stretched out his arms before the physical glitches caught up with him.
And that too is symbolic, for a player who so often saw injuries break his momentum early in his career.
Like a full circle with panache.
A little guy who wanted to play tennis, who electrified the courts around the world, and who leaves through the front door.
The post-match tribute was also a highlight.
Whoever hasn't crushed a little tear throws the first stone at me.
Rarely have I witnessed such a moving end to my career.
From the long standing ovation of the public to the parade of all those who have participated in the success of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga since his youngest age, there again we rewatched the film of his 18 years at the highest level.
And then the friends were there too.
When Gilles Simon appeared to hug Tsonga as he was playing just after, I thought that the fact that Tsonga was the second most successful Frenchman in history after Yannick Noah didn't matter so much. only that.
What shows the greatness of the player is this overflowing emotion, the love of his peers and the public.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was in tears at the end of this last match.
He knelt down to kiss that beloved clay that stuck to his forehead.
Ultimate symbol of the indelible mark he leaves when he leaves.
He underlined it in his speech, he has not always had easy dealings with the media.
Too much this, not enough that.
It is true that we are not always tender.
But in the end, we remember the beautiful things.
So thank you, Joe!