Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reflects on his career goals, being different

2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said one of his biggest goals was to inspire kids and admitted that being a bit different was important to him. 

On Tuesday, a great career came to an end as Tsonga played his final match at the French Open. 

Tsonga delivered a good battle but in the end fell short in four sets versus eighth-ranked Casper Ruud. 

Tsonga, who turned professional in 2004, decided to walk away from the game after 18 years. 

“I always said one of my goals was to inspire kids, inspire other people. I hope I did that during my career. I have been inspired myself by other sportsmen and I know how you feel. I know how you feel when you are a fan of somebody or you admire somebody. It’s a nice feeling,” Tsonga said, per Tennis Up To Date. 

Tsonga on being different 

There was always something interesting when it came to Tsonga’s style of play and his personality. 

When Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were asked about Tsonga, both described him as one of the most charismatic players in tennis history. 

“For me it was really important to be different. I was born different a little bit. I’ve always been a little bit different than others in France. For me, it [counts] really positively and trying to do things differently was for me something positive. I always try to go this way,” Tsonga explained. 

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Frenchman Ugo Humbert paid tribute to Tsonga by calling him an idol and an inspiration. . 

“Jo for me was one of my idols, one of my favourite players. When I was young, he was a source of inspiration for me and I tried to do [things] like him. I went to the Federation at 12 and I knew that he was there, so for me it was exceptional. I was following all his matches,” Humbert said.