Jo-Wilfried Tsonga says loss at French Open will be 'good memory' even as he ends career

PARIS — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bid an emotional farewell to tennis in a special presentation on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros after losing his first-round match Tuesday at the French Open to Casper Ruud.

Tsonga, 37, announced last week he'd bow out after this year's tournament, bringing an end to a career that saw him reach the 2008 Australia Open final and 18 career titles. Tsonga faced Ruud, the No. 8 seed, in the first round, and despite a valiant performance, injury led to an abrupt end to his hopes as he lost 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (0).

In front of a packed stadium, France's Tsonga got off to a brilliant start, winning the first set in the tiebreak, but then dropped the next two. After a resurgence in the fourth, he broke Ruud to give himself a chance to serve for the set at 6-5.

But he injured his shoulder winning the break point on the forehand, and when he went to serve for the set, he found he couldn't lift his arm properly. That left him underpowered to the extent that he threw in an underarm effort at 15-30, with Ruud breaking him back. Tsonga then called for a medical timeout but went on to lose the tiebreak 7-0, and the match.

To mark his final match in the sport, the French Tennis Federation held a special presentation for Tsonga on the court, where he was joined by former coaches and his family. Fellow players Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon also joined him on court — the quartet dubbed the New Musketeers when they broke through — while there were video messages from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Tsonga — who at his peak reached No.5 in the men's rankings in 2012 — addressed the crowd, and in his speech thanked those who helped him on his journey and