Former world number 5
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is out of the
Roland Garros in R1 after losing to Nishioka and it might have been his last.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a polarizing player in his best days but his best days are long gone. He faced a tough opponent in Nishioka and the Japanese player was able to defeat him in 4 sets. Tsonga had chances to take the match into a 5th set but Nishioka proved too good in the 4th set tiebreak.
After the loss Tsonga said:
“(I’m) Disappointed to have lost. I would have liked to push him into a fifth set and go see what’s going on there. But I am also satisfied. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve managed to develop a game that comes a little closer to what I’m capable of doing."
It's no secret that Tsonga is approaching the final stages of his career which made this
French Open loss so bittersweet for him. It was scheduled late which meant that the local curfew hit before the match finished leaving Tsonga to say goodbye to essentially empty stands. On the experience Tsonga said:
“It was touching. It gave me little chills and I couldn’t help but smile at them (the crowd). I’m glad I got to taste this again. Afterwards, it is true that the situation was funny when everyone had to go right in the middle (of the match) and no one wanted to do it. They were all there: “Do something, Jo!” But I couldn’t do anything … It was sad.”
For Tsonga who hasn't played well in a while, this might have been the last French Open. Asked about it he said:
"The thing that is certain is that if I do not win a lot of matches, I will be quite far in the standings. There is the desire and the reality of things. It will be time to make decisions if I no longer fit into this kind of tournament.”