Former French number one Jo-Wildfried Tsonga, 37, bid farewell to the public as a professional tennis player on May 24, 2022, after his last match at Roland-Garros.
The only Frenchman to have reached the quarter-finals of the four Grand Slam tournaments, he has a total of 18 titles (and 12 finals), including 2 Masters 1000, plus an Olympic silver medal and a Davis Cup, in a career that has taken him seen reaching the 5th rank in the world in the ATP rankings.
Throwback, in pictures, to the highlights of the man who celebrated his victories with the thumb dance.
Directed by:
Olivier JUSZCZAK
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was born on April 17, 1985 in Le Mans.
From the juniors, Manceau began to shine by winning the US Open in 2003. That same year, he was a semi-finalist in the three other Grand Slam tournaments.
He turned professional in 2004. That year, he beat world number 5 Carlos Moya in Beijing, and ended the year by taking part in the Masters 1000 in Paris.
In 2007, he was named revelation of the year by the ATP.
In 2008, the Frenchman's career took on another dimension with his performance at the Australian Open.
In the semi-finals, he knocked down world number 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets (6-2, 6-3, 6-2).
The thumb dance is now his signature win.
He faces Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final of the tournament.
After losing the first set, the Serb pockets the other three and wins the first victory of his career in a Grand Slam tournament.
In November, the French climbed to the final of the Master 1000 in Paris.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeats Argentinian David Nalbandian and lifts the most beautiful trophy of his career.
After Guy Forget in 1991 and Sébastien Grosjean in 2001, he is the third Frenchman to win this tournament.
On June 29, 2011, the French faced the Swiss Roger Federer in his English garden at Wimbledon, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (N°12) came back two sets and won against the world N°3 (3/6, 6/7, 6/4, 6/4, 6/4).
He becomes the first player in history to beat Roger Federer after trailing by two sets in a Grand Slam tournament.
He will then lose in the semi-final against Serbian Novak Djokovic in four sets.
At the end of the year, the Swiss will take his revenge on the Frenchman in the final of the Masters.
In February 2012, he reached the 5th rank in the world on the ATP circuit.
His best career ranking.
That year, he played a quarter-final at Roland-Garros and again a semi-final at Wimbledon.
2012 is also an Olympic year with the London Games.
In the men's doubles tournament, associated with Michael Llodra, he won the silver medal.
His compatriots Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet are also on the podium with the bronze medal around their necks.
In 2014, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the second Masters 1000 of his career, in Toronto, beating the Swiss Roger Federer in the final.
For several years, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been in a relationship with Noura El Swekh.
The couple married in 2018. They have two children.
After 2013, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga again reached the Roland-Garros semi-final in 2015. He lost to the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, a real machine that year on Parisian clay.
He will win the tournament against Novak Djokovic in the final.
A member of the French tennis team since 2008, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played in the second Davis Cup final of his career in 2017.
After the defeat against Switzerland in 2014, the French team with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga became world champion by beating Belgium, in Lille, on November 26, 2017.
On May 24, 2022, after his last match at Roland-Garros, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 37, bid farewell to the public as a professional tennis player.
He is the only Frenchman to have reached the quarter-finals of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
He has a total of 18 ATP titles (and 12 finals), including 2 Masters 1000 and 2 ATP 500, plus an Olympic silver medal and a Davis Cup.
In Grand Slam tournaments his record is one final (Australian Open 2008), and five semi-finals (Australian Open 2010, Wimbledon 2011 and 2012, Roland-Garros 2013 and 2015).
Slideshow
Jo Wilfried Tsonga
Retirement
Roland Garros 2022
Tennis