French gamers have not loved a great deal of success at the Paris Masters in current years.
In reality, only two Frenchmen have won the esteemed Masters 1000 title since the match was based in 1970.
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Sebastien Grosjean, the former world quantity 4, grew to become the first French participant to win the Paris Masters after defeating former world quantity one Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 2004 last.
Four years later, the second and last French star captured the Parisian title.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stays the last French participant to have won the Paris Masters
One of the most profitable seasons of Tsonga’s profession occurred in 2008, when the Frenchman was still a teenager.
Tsonga started the yr by reaching the Australian Open last. The French teenager defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the championship spectacle, before dropping to Novak Djokovic.
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Nine months later, Tsonga triumphed in entrance of his home followers.
Tsonga, seeded thirteenth in Paris, defeated Radek Stepanek, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and James Blake on his means to the last.
There, he overcame the problem of David Nalbandian, triumphing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s path to the 2008 Paris Masters title
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R2: defeated Radek Stepanek 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
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R3: defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
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QF: defeated Andy Roddick 5-7, 6-4, 7-6
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SF: defeated James Blake 6-4, 6-3
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F: defeated David Nalbandian 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
“It’s pure, unadulterated joy,” Tsonga said of his victory in a dialog with French outlet L’Equipe.
“I don’t even have words to describe this final; what happened this week was just incredible. I arrived at the tournament with aches and pains all over.
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“My thigh was hurting, my shoulder was still hurting. Where else was it hurting? I was in ache nearly in every single place.
“My head was pounding because I was suffering from not being able to give my all in my matches and not being able to play the way I wanted.
“I held on, I stayed very, very robust. I informed myself I was fortunate to be on the court and that I had to give it my all.
Photo by Franck FIFE / AFP via Getty Images
“You never know what can happen: you can win one or two matches and then the machine will start up, your body will stabilize, and you’ll smash it. That’s what happened; I’m really happy.”
The French gamers who have reached the last since 2008
Both Gael Monfils and Tsonga reached the last after 2008, but both failed to win the Parisian title.
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Monfils certified for the last in 2009 and 2010, dropping to Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling, respectively.
Tsonga returned to the last in 2011 – three years after his initial triumph. Roger Federer ended Tsonga’s dream of a second title, triumphing 6-1, 7-6 in the last.
“I’m very happy with my performance today. I’m amazed by how well I played. I don’t think Jo played a bad match. It’s good to complete the tournament so solidly,” Federer acknowledged afterwards.
Tsonga said: “I’m a bit disappointed that I have not been able to play better. He was better today. He was just too quick.”
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Ugo Humbert, regarded as one of the higher indoor hard-court gamers on the Tour, also reached the last in 2024, before dropping to Alexander Zverev in straight units.
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