Not one last hurray in Australia? Jo-Wilfried Tsonga without a wildcard for the Australian Open
In all likelihood, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will not start at the Australian Open in 2022. At number 260 in the ATP charts, the world rankings are not enough for participation, and the Frenchman was also denied a wildcard. It is therefore questionable whether the 36-year-old will actively return to the place where he was able to book his greatest career success almost 14 years ago.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Dec 10, 2021, 07:37 pm
Tennis careers can be so different. When Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Novak Djokovic faced each other in the final of the Australian Open at the beginning of 2008, they were both still a blank slate at Grand Slam level. Nothing less than the first major title was up for grabs on that day. The better end? Novak Djokovic had that for himself at the time. And from there on to the summit storm in terms of tennis records. Well, almost 14 years later there are 20 major titles that the Serb was able to collect.
And what about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? A similar picture-book career was denied. Today, the now 36-year-old has 18 titles on the ATP Tour, two titles at the ATP Masters 1000 level and fifth in the world rankings as personal best in terms of world rankings. There are currently many signs that the veteran will soon be saying goodbye - several injuries have recently thrown the French back a long way. Tsonga is currently only on place 260 in the ATP world rankings. The poor balance sheet in 2021: The Frenchman was only able to win one of just nine matches.
No wildcard for the Australian Open
Reason enough for the 36-year-old to think aloud about a possible end to his career. "I'm moving more towards retirement than towards the beginning of my career. Of course, I'm ready today," the Frenchman declared in 2020. Well, in the middle of one (of many) injury breaks, Tsonga doesn't want to say goodbye, as he recently emphasized: "I've imagined the end of my career hundreds of times - since I was 19 (laughs) . My goal is definitely Coming back in 2022. " And at best at the Australian Open, the Frenchman had assured at the time.
In all probability nothing will come of this. As Tennishead reported , the world rankings will be 260. If you are awarded a wildcard for the first major of the year, you get nothing. Instead of giving the veteran the chance for one last hurray at the tournament in which he had his biggest run in a major event, the French tennis association is giving Lucas Pouille a wildcard for the Australian Open. For Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, on the other hand, it is more than unlikely that he will return to the place where his career took a completely new turn almost 14 years ago.