Gael Monfils admitted it’s hard to see Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ending his career but added he is happy that his fellow compatriot ended up having a long and successful career.
Tsonga, 36, announced his plans to retire at the French Open.
On Saturday, Monfils practiced with Tsonga at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Monfils’ foot was hurting but still he couldn’t say no to his close friend.
On Sunday, Monfils announced his withdrawal from Monte Carlo.
“You have to celebrate every moment with him. Yesterday, I trained with him. Even if my foot hurts, I don’t care! These are the last moments when we are still players together. We’re friends for life, that’s for sure, but we’re still players together,” Monfils said of Tsonga, per Quentin Moynet.
Monfils: Tsonga has had a great career
Tsonga hasn’t had much success in recent years as he has been battling varios injuries.
Tsonga reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2008 Australian Open and in 2012 he reached a career-high ranking of No. 5.
“It’s hard because he’s my friend and I’m experiencing this as a fan boy, let’s say. The results of recent years do not at all represent his exceptional career, the great player he is (…) I see him fulfilled and very serene with his decision,” Monfils added.
“We have always had Jo as a model. He has always been the locomotive, the big brother, the person we looked up to. In training at INSEP, he was the only one who had the right to have the cap backwards, he was the strongest guy.
“You were 14, you looked at him, you wanted to be Jo Tsonga! We wanted to do like him. His discipline, his love of the game, for those who were a little younger, all that fact that we have always seen him as a role model.”