Today marks the 40th birthday of former French professional tennis player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Born in Le Mans, France, Jo-Wilfried`s father, Didier, was a handball player who later became a chemistry teacher. His mother, Evelyne, was also a teacher. He has a younger sister, Sarah, and a younger brother, Enzo.
Tsonga started playing tennis at the age of seven. He achieved significant success as a junior, winning the US Open title in 2003. He also reached the semi-finals of the other three Grand Slam junior events. In 2003, he finished the junior season ranked No. 2 in the world, just behind Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.
In 2004, Tsonga began his professional career, winning titles on the Futures and Challenger circuits and securing wins in ATP tournaments. However, the following two seasons were hampered by injuries, limiting him to just three ATP events.
His breakthrough year came in 2007. Jo-Wilfried jumped from 212th to 43rd in the world rankings, earning him the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.
Tsonga`s 2008 season began with a remarkable run to the Australian Open final, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic of Serbia. This achievement propelled him into the Top 20. On February 27, 2012, he reached his career-high ranking of world No. 5. He also reached the semi-finals of the French Open twice (2013 and 2015) and Wimbledon twice (2011 and 2012).
Throughout his career, Tsonga won 18 ATP titles, including Masters 1000 events in Paris and Toronto. He was also part of the French team that won the Davis Cup in 2017. He earned $22,524,073 in prize money during his career.
Tsonga has two sons and is currently expecting his third child with his wife, Noura El Shwekh.
In May 2022, Tsonga retired from professional tennis. The 2022 French Open was his final tournament. Since retiring, he has been involved in business and leads his company, All In Groupe.
