Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was blessed to be part of a French generation filled with talented players. But none of them managed to secure a Grand Slam title. Tsonga came the closest, reaching the final of the 2008 Australian Open before losing to Novak Djokovic.
Tsonga, who retired in 2022, is simply not making excuses. He is rather honest with his assessment, saying that neither he nor his compatriots were “good enough” to win a Grand Slam. Tsonga, quoted by Punto de Break, said in the first episode of Gael Monfils’ Talk Show:
“We were good enough to go far, but not good enough to win them. It’s a sincere and honest answer, and then we can extrapolate what we should have changed or what should have been improved, but it just happened that way.”
That era saw some promising French players on the ATP Tour. Tsonga and Monfils stood out, and it’s not hard to understand why! Their electrifying style of play and charismatic approach made them fan favorites.
It wasn’t just them. Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet are certainly capable of giving anyone a run for their money on a given day. Paul-Henri Mathieu can also be thrown into that bracket. To be fair, he was already at his peak when these players were coming up. Truth be told, none of them truly came close to winning that coveted trophy, except for Tsonga in 2008.
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He had another chance at the 2011 Wimbledon. The game that really caught everyone’s attention was the quarter-final. Tsonga rallied from two sets down to beat Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Not an easy thing to do against Federer at the Championships, especially with the crowd in full voice cheering him on.
As his fans began to wonder – could this be Tsonga’s Slam, finally? The answer was a resounding no! Djokovic ended his journey once more, marching on to ultimately lift the trophy. Even after those two heartbreaking defeats at the hands of the Serb, Tsonga continues to remain positive till date and is not looking for excuses.
The ‘Big 4’ were better than us: Monfils
His compatriot Monfils, though, had an intriguing theory about their inability to win a Grand Slam. He thinks that the ‘Big 4’ – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray – were just so good that they made them look “weak.”
He brought up his loss in the 2016 Monte Carlo Masters final against Nadal to back his comment. After two closely contested sets, Rafa blew him away in the decider to win the match 7-5, 5-7, 6-0.
“The Big 4 were better than us. They made you look weak. For example, against Nadal in Monte Carlo I played the best match of my life on clay and he beat me 6-0 in the third set. He is the best, I gave it my all and he killed me physically.”
Even though they did not win a Grand Slam title, Tsonga and Monfils provided their fans with several memorable moments. Their infectious energy resonated with the crowd, resulting in a lively atmosphere during their matches. Something both players and fans will never forget.
