"I wouldn’t have been a happier man if I had won a Grand Slam," Tsonga’s heartfelt confessions
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a former world No. 5 player. The Frenchman, who won 18 ATP titles—including two Masters 1000 trophies—also reached the Australian Open final in 2008, defeating Murray and Nadal along the way before falling to Djokovic.
The Le Mans native built an impressive career while competing against the Big 3 during the most dominant era in tennis history, featuring the three greatest players of all time.
A guest on Kevin Ferreira’s YouTube podcast in recent weeks, the 40-year-old retired player—who stepped away from the sport in 2022—reflected on his time on the tour.
"I can say I’ve beaten all the best players in the world, every member of the Big 3. But despite that, I don’t think I would have been a happier man if I had won a Grand Slam.
I probably would have had a few extra million euros in my bank account, but that’s a fleeting pleasure. It wasn’t the ultimate goal of my life," he said before addressing his biggest regret—one unrelated to his game itself.
"What could I have done better in my career? Speak English. Analyze the rest of the tour more deeply, feel at home anywhere in the world. For me, that was a hurdle.
At first, my English was so poor that even though I eventually learned to hold a conversation, I never felt comfortable. It didn’t feel natural—I had to focus hard to pronounce words correctly, and that wasn’t easy.
I regret not opening myself up more to the world. I worked with foreign coaches, but I did it quite late. I only had one Australian coach (Roger Rasheed) and one Spanish coach (Sergi Bruguera). I learned a lot, but I could have done more," Tsonga concluded.
