World No. 1 Novak Djokovic shared a touching video message to his old rival Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the Serb described the Frenchman as “one of the most charismatic players” in tennis history.
On Tuesday, Tsonga played the final singles match of his career.
After a four-set battle, Tsonga fell short against eighth-ranked Casper Ruud.
In a special on-court ceremony that celebrated the career of Tsonga, Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray all sent warm video messages to the Frenchman.
“He’s one of the most charismatic players to play the game,” Djokovic said, per the ATP website. “He brought a lot of attention to the sport because of his charismatic game style. It’s a tremendous loss to men’s tennis, [but] he has made his mark on our sport.”
Djokovic won his first Grand Slam after beating Tsonga
In the 2008 Australian Open final, Djokovic overcame Tsonga to win his first Grand Slam.
14 years later, Djokovic is a 20-time Grand Slam.
Unfortunately for Tsonga, he never again reached a Grand Slam final but still went on to have a great career.
Tsonga was always one of the most respected players on the ATP Tour and Ruud showed the Frenchman respect after the match.
Holding back tears in his on-court interview, Ruud said Tsonga was a great inspiration to him and many other players from the younger generation.
“It’s tough for me and all the players that you’re stopping. You’ve been an inspiration to me and so many of the other players, so thank you for the memories,” Ruud said. “[I have] so many good memories watching Jo on TV. He’s such a great guy [and] nice person on and off the court. He’s a good example of what a player should be.”
Even though Tsonga was the big underdog versus Ruud, he gave his absolute best and managed to win a set against top-10 player Ruud.