The days of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as a professional player they are numbered. About to turn 37, the Frenchman has designed one last farewell tour, although his intention is still to do the best he can. The Monte Carlo Masters 1000 It will be the first stop, a place that brings back beautiful memories of the past and where tomorrow he will face Marin Cilic. Before all that, the Frenchman sat down with the media to leave a few headlines and emotions on the table.
does not come for a walk
“I am one more competitor in this tournament, I feel light and that is always nice. I come here to enjoy this experience as much as I can, to enjoy the time I have left to play. I’m not here as an amateur, I’ll only enjoy if I get to do what I like to do in front of people, to enjoy as I did in the rest of my career, fighting and trying to win”.
Expectations in the tournament
Considering what I’ve been doing lately, my expectations in the tournament are not to go very far. I mean, I don’t tell myself that I’m going to be in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, or that I’m going to win the tournament. My ambition only stops at the first game. I want to win that match, the ambition will only develop if I am able to succeed on that day and take some steps forward. If I lose it will not be a disappointment, although I am a great competitor, that is my life as a tennis player. I will always want to win, even if it is my last game. As I said, I will not go out just to have fun, if the tournament gave me a WC it is to give it all competing”.
Wave of affection after his announcement
“As soon as I made the announcement I turned off the phone, I wasn’t prepared to be overwhelmed by so many emotions. Right now I’m still dealing with this, I don’t want to think that I’m going to retire, I want to play as much as possible until Roland Garros, I tried not to watch the networks too much these days. I’ve heard people say amazing things about me, so I think that’s a very positive thing, I’m honored to be recognized so much. The day I leave him I will realize everything I could achieve in my life, I hope to finish in the best possible way”.
Sensation in training
“I was a little sick when I got back from Miami, but now I feel fine. I was able to play well for the last four days, with good intensity, against good players in practice. Oddly enough, I beat several of them, it’s been a long time since I did that, so it’s all good, I just want to have a good week and play good tennis.”
Creation of your own Academy
“We don’t set any official goals for ourselves, I just want to give back everything I received as a youngster. They always supported me, they helped me, I was lucky during the first years. This is my way of doing something for others, of doing something good. I love tennis, I really dedicated myself to this game completely, because now I stop competing doesn’t mean tennis is out of my life. Now I want to give opportunities to the youngest, to experience what I experienced”.
Souvenirs of Monte Carlo
“I had a lot of moments here, you remember our late night parties, I miss all of that. All the players had a party that was great, we came dressed up and we had a lot of fun, it was great. I remember matches and good victories too, especially Roger’s. I have spent extraordinary moments here, everyone knows it. The views are beautiful, the weather is nice, and spring is coming. It is a very special moment, the start of the clay court season, an always pleasant moment to be here”.
Would you change anything in your career?
“You always have regrets, if I had to regret what I did in my career, I would regret almost everything. If I started to change this and that I would have been number 1 in the world, I would have won a Grand Slam and I would have stayed at the top for 58 weeks. But what I did was write my own story and I don’t regret what happened, I made the decisions at a given time and in a given situation, that brought me to the place I am now, where I am happy. I am a balanced person, I did not need to do crazy things on the track to be appreciated by the crowd, so I have what I deserve to have.
