If his body didn't fail him so many times the same could be true, so it was with the cruellest stroke of irony that as he looked set to deliver one final defiant performance his shoulder fell apart and he finished his career in tears on the Paris clay.
The Frenchman, whose career had been hampered by multiple injuries in recent years, fought for almost four hours before bowing out in tears.But for part of the match there were glimpses of the younger Tsonga, the man who beat all of tennis's big three when they were on top of the world, such was his talent that he knocked off Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer when each was world number one.
Tsonga held firm, delighting fans with some well-executed drop shots as he made the most of his opponent's early nerves. Backed by a buoyant crowd, however, Tsonga broke to love for 6-5 in the fourth, only for Ruud to level and force another tiebreak. "It's great day for me. The day when I say goodbye to my long-time companion. I've never looked back but now is the time to do it," Tsonga told the crowd.
It just a game that he's made millions from. I'm sure he'll get over it.
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