"Toronto was great because I beat Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer" - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recalls his 2014 Rogers Cup win
2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took a trip down memory lane after playing the final ATP Masters 1000 match of his career on Monday. Analyzing his two title wins at that level, the 36-year-old said his 2014 Toronto triumph was "great" since he beat two of the legends of the game, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic along the way.
Last week, the former World No. 5 announced his decision to hang up his racquet at Roland Garros after a successful 18-year career. The ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters this week was the Frenchman's last ATP Masters 1000 tournament. Unfortunately, his stay was short-lived in Monaco as he bowed out 6-2, 6-2 to 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round.
Chilly Cilic 🌙
@cilic_marin wraps up play on Court Rainier III with a 6-2 6-2 win over Tsonga - who was making his last #RolexMCMasters appearance https://t.co/gP6diADAh5
At the post-match press conference, Tsonga was asked which one between his 2008 Paris Masters and his 2014 Canadian Masters titles he considers to be more memorable.
Being a Frenchman, he chose Bercy at first, justifying that the experience was all new to him and that he had his friends, family and childhood coaches with him.
Tsonga then went on to explain how important his Toronto win was from a "game point of view." The fact that he was able to upstage the sport's icons after what he described as a "difficult period" was indeed reassuring.
"But of course from the game point of view, Toronto was great because I beat Djokovic, Federer," he said. "This is what people asked from me every week and I couldn't do. Beating them one after the other was very complicated, and that week I was able to do that after a difficult period I went through with my team, with Thiery, with Michele, with my brother, with friends. We had set a mission for all of us to win again, so it was also great."
Tsonga admitted that although he had an emotional connection to Bercy, he simply couldn't ignore the fact that Toronto was "an exceptional adventure" because of the gravity of the wins he achieved.
"Bercy is taking a lot of room, but of course Toronto humanly also was an exceptional adventure," he said. "Often you see what happens during the tournament week, but there's all you have been doing before that, and that counts a lot for me. The result is one thing, but the pathway to the result is also very important."
A lookback at Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's stunning 2014 Toronto win
Seeded 13th at the 2014 Canadian Masters, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ripped through the draw in Toronto, accounting for three of the game's most popular names. In the third round, he annihilated top seed Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, following which he battled past eighth seed Andy Murray 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
After a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win over seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals, the Frenchman edged second seed Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6(3) in an enthralling final.
The accomplishment made Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the first man to beat Djokovic, Federer and Murray in the same tournament since Rafael Nadal at the 2008 Hamburg Masters.
Paris 2004 to Monte Carlo 2022 💙
18 years after his first, @tsonga7 walks out to start his final-ever Masters 1000 campaign!
#RolexMCMasters https://t.co/Na7bqWGRlQ