I had Russian soldiers point a Kalashnikov at me," Tsonga reveals his worst circuit anecdotes

Clément Gehl

le 20/10/2025 à 09h00

1 min to read

Tsonga

In an interview with Univers Tennis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looked back on his career. An opportunity to also recall his beginnings and the precariousness of a beginning player.

While participating in a tournament in Russia, he recounts: "I was 18 years old, I found myself all alone, no coach, no companion.

I had a visa problem, I had soldiers in the airport who came and pointed a Kalashnikov at me. My visa had expired by a few hours.

I had to go get a visa I don't know where, I was in the middle of nowhere in Russia, at the Togliatti tournament, 5 hours by plane from Moscow. I had won the tournament, I was happy to return with my trophy.