40 Years – Tsonga, an unforgettable run (2008)
Having come to Paris unsure that he would even be able to play his first match, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga left the French capital a week later, trophy in hand. Eighteen years after adding his name to the list of Rolex Paris Masters champions, the Frenchman remembers the tournament that changed the course of his career and earned him a place in the Parisian crowd’s hearts.
It was back in 2008, but the man from Le Mans remembers it like it was yesterday. That year, on 2nd November, he lifted the famous Arbre de Fanti trophy. Still today, the former World No.5 is filled with emotion as he remembers one of the greatest moments of his impressive career. An autumn week, a painful knee, an effervescent stadium, his family and friends, and a final full of suspense: we look back at his incredible run to the title in Paris.
Injured knee, distant dreams
Finishing runner-up at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, Tsonga underwent a knee operation in May and missed a good chunk of the season (including Roland-Garros and Wimbledon) before gradually getting back on course over the summer. His first ATP title, which he clinched in Bangkok against Novak Djokovic, gave him a new burst of motivation. However, at the start of the indoor swing, his knee swelled up again and the doubts started to creep in. “To be honest, I came to the tournament thinking that I wouldn’t even be able to play my first match,” he remembers.
His coach at the time, Eric Winograsky, was under no illusions, but allowed him to make the decision. Tsonga stepped out on court for his first match and won it in three sets against Radek Stepanek (No.28). He decided to take it one day at a time. Then came his second-round match against Novak Djokovic. Despite the pain, the Frenchman beat the World No.3 in three sets. “At that moment, I said to myself, ‘That’s not bad at all! So why not?’”
But it was in the quarter-finals against Andy Roddick, who was World No.7 at the time, that things really started looking up. Emerging victorious from their breathtaking duel, which ended at 7/6(5) in the third set, Jo had put in a superb performance against one of the strongest servers on the tour. And all of a sudden, his knee stopped hurting. Even better, the swelling went down! “At that moment, I thought it was a miracle and that I could dream of winning!”
The dream continued into the semis. Against James Blake (No.11), Tsonga played accurately, with power, and gave his opponent no room for error, cruising to a 6-4 6-3 victory. In hindsight, the Frenchman still considers that match to be one of the best of his whole career. “I remember the match well. It is one of my most accomplished performances. I was soaring.”
A final etched in the collective memory
There he was, on the final rung, at home, watched by a stadium full of spectators who were starting to realise the full extent of his talent, many of them having only discovered him at the Australian Open. On the other side of the net stood one of the men who was in top form at the end of the season: David Nalbandian. The Argentinean, who had won the title in Stockholm and finished runner-up in Basel (against Federer), was also the defending champion in Paris.
It was a tall order for the Frenchman, but the final lived up to all expectations. The memories are still fresh in the mind of the current co-organiser of the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes de Lyon (alongside Thierry Ascione). “From the moment we started warming up, the crowd was on my side. When they stomped their feet, the whole stadium shook. When that happened, I felt a bit sorry for Nalbandian, because I knew it was going to be a difficult match for him too.”
The crowd’s fervour never subsided, accompanying every ace (25 in total) and every burst of acceleration (51 winners), right up to match point. Urged on by the spectators’ unrelenting support – especially when he found himself down 0-40 on his serve at 5-4 up in the last set –, Tsonga won the last six points of the match to clinch his most prestigious title, securing his ticket for the Shanghai Masters at the same time.
That gave him two great reasons to celebrate, and suffice to say the after party was worthy of such an accomplishment! “I was so delighted after that win, it was just fantastic, and it is even more special when you can share it. My family and friends were in Paris, people who had never seen me play before at such a high level and who, in a way, were only just seeing what my job entailed. After my win, we threw the most amazing party!”
That week, which started with a painful knee and ended with the cheers of an exultant crowd, was certainly a memorable one for all involved. In Paris, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga not only won the most prestigious title of his whole career, he also won the hearts of the French spectators.