Tsonga: "Tennis has clearly changed".

© AFP

Elio Valotto

le 15/12/2024 à 13h09

1 min to read

The author of an iconic career in which he was France's standard-bearer for many years, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is now retired and taking the opportunity to combine family and professional life.

During a visit to the YouTube channel of his compatriot and friend Gaël Monfils, the Manceau player inaugurated a new series launched by Monfils on his channel: talk shows.

Covering a wide range of subjects, the two men discussed a very interesting question: has tennis changed?

For Tsonga, there's no doubt about it: "Yeah. For me, it's changed. It's got nothing to do with that. Everything has changed. The courts have changed. In the beginning, there were the faster courts. When we really started, Bercy, all that ... Taraflex, you know. That was different. You fell, you were afraid of getting burned. You'd get burnt, you couldn't almost slide.

So tennis has clearly changed. The equipment has changed a little. The physical impact has changed. Before, there were guys who were a bit paunchy and all...

Physically, tennis has changed. So has the style of the players. Today's tennis players are more complete, so there are fewer tennis identities. Not in terms of personalities. Today's youngsters have great personalities, and that's cool.

In the dressing room, I also have the impression that the youngsters spend more time together.