‘I Inspire Guys Like Nick Kyrgios’ – Jo Wilfried Tsonga Says His Legacy Will Continue With Players Like Nick Kyrgios

Jo Wilfried Tsonga is on the brink of ending his tennis career. The iconic player has enthralled tennis fans over the years with his amazing skills on the tennis court. Earlier this year, he announced he will call an end to his career after the French Open 2022.

It has been a wonderful career for the Frenchman, spanning over 15 years. Further, in just his second attempt at the Australian Open in 2008, Tsonga reached the finals, losing out to Novak Djokovic in the summit clash. Subsequently, he made several semifinal appearances at major tournaments. Additionally, a consistent run on the ATP Tour enabled him to rise to the fifth spot in the ATP rankings. Recently, he talked about his legacy in tennis.

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Jo Wilfried Tsonga on inspiring players like Nick Kyrgios

During the recent episode of the ATP Podcast, the Frenchman was asked what is going to be his legacy in tennis. He replied, “I don’t know. Gael Monfils said that I was a role model and for me, it was important to be this role model I wanted to be. Today, I have some players like Felix Auger-Aliassime, I inspire those guys. I inspire guys like Nick Kyrgios, they are completely different.”

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Further, he added, “It means I had a little bit of them in me and it’s just an honor, you know and most of the players, young players, I had played them and I was really proud because after the match, they came to me and they told me we woke up really early to see you play and I am just proud of that and that’s it. This is my legacy and so I want to say, I wasn’t able to do, I didn’t do crazy things to be a character on the tour and for me, it’s also something I am proud of.”

Nick Kyrgios to miss the French Open 2022

The Australian tennis star will skip Roland Garros to focus on the grass-court season later this year. Kyrgios hasn’t played at the tournament since his second-round loss in 2017. His game style doesn’t suit the clay-court surface, which is quite clear from the results he has had on this surface. Moreover, he had played only one tournament on clay this season, which was in Houston. However, he has maintained that he wants to return to Paris next year.