"My qualities directly played into his qualities," Tsonga reveals the toughest opponent he ever faced

Adrien Guyot

le 19/10/2025 à 11h37

1 min to read

Murray Nadal Tsonga

Former world number 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga competed against the greatest tennis legends at their peak during the Big 3 era.

Tsonga was a solid top-10 player for many years. A finalist at the 2008 Australian Open and the 2011 ATP Finals, he won two Masters 1000 titles in his career, including a memorable one in Toronto in 2014. Along the way, he notably defeated Djokovic, Murray, Dimitrov, and Federer.

Having competed against the Big 3 throughout his career, the Frenchman revealed the identity of the opponent who gave him the most trouble, and it wasn't Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal. Indeed, the native of Le Mans mentioned Andy Murray. The Scot won 14 of their 16 meetings on the ATP tour.

"What bothered me about Murray? My qualities directly played into his qualities. I served well, he returned well. I liked playing with changes of pace, and that didn't bother him.

I played chip shots, he'd replay them with chip shots... He plays precisely. He was a player who, as a rule, played very precisely. He often managed to block me. He's a fine technician. When I got my big game going, he managed to play to spots that neutralized me, which obviously bothered me a lot.

After that, Rafa (Nadal) on clay, frankly... That's a big challenge. You have no chance. Once you're in the match, you tell yourself: 'If I do this, I can't do anything,'" he stated for Univers Tennis.