In a video posted on Youtube, the French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announces this Wednesday that he is ending his career after the next Roland Garros tournament, which will take place from May 16 to June 5. The 36-year-old sportsman talks about his physical condition: “My body tells me ‘you are no longer able to go further than what I give you'”, he explains in the video titled “Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Announcement of the end of his career at French Open 2022” (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, announcement of the end of his career at the French Open 2022, Roland Garros Tournament).
“My ability to surpass myself is no longer there”
The French player has fallen to 220th in the world and is coming out of four years plagued by injuries. “It took me a long time to make this decision, I think it’s been several years where every day in the day there is at least one moment where I say to myself ‘what am I doing? Why am I hurt like that? Is there still a reason why I’m going to all this effort?'” admits Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, ex-N.5 in the world and long N.1 in France.
“My abilities to surpass myself are no longer there, my body tells me ‘you are no longer able to go further than what I give you'” adds the tennis player. This will therefore be his last Roland Garros, “the last thrill” as he explains, the 15th of his career.
“I hope that by then I will stay in good shape and that I will be able to be who I have always been in this tournament. The goal is to be myself, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the tennis player. I’ve always wanted to be successful, to set my goals at the top. This will be the opportunity to do it one last time.”he insists.