French professional and former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is back on winning terms. On Tuesday, he defeated Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in his opening match in Marseille, registering a win after 476 days.

Moreover, the 35-year-old managed to seek this long-awaited victory from a set down. His last win was in the 2019 Davis Cup Finals round-robin match against Japanese Yasutaka Uchiyama.

In 2020, the Frenchman had only played two tournaments, Qatar Open and the Australian Open. Both the places, Tsonga lost in his first match, recording a 0-2 win-loss record for the year.

Further ahead, he also withdrew from the Australian Open 2021 and marked his comeback at home turf in Montpellier. Even there, he lost the opening round to current World No. 92 American Sebastian Korda.

Following that, he participated in the 2021 Open 13 tournament, where he outclassed the Spaniard 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

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“I thought I would never experience that feeling again”: Tsonga

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been one of the resilient competitors of the sport. However, persistent injuries have kept him on and off in tennis since 2018.

Therefore, when the 2008 Australian Open finalist pulled off the win, his feelings were indescribable. In a post after the match, he also confessed that he thought he would not win ever again.

“I thought I would never be able to experience that feeling again… no words to describe it… we are the only one to have the key of our destiny. Don’t let anyone else tell you that you are not able to do it,” Tsonga wrote.

It was his passion for the sport and the commitment to improve that led Tsonga to his victory. Check out the winning moment and that relief-filled smiled on the Frenchman’s face.

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Who will Jo-Wilfried Tsonga face next in Marseille?

On 10th March, Tsonga will take on compatriot and fourth seed Ugo Humbert for a berth in the quarterfinals. He won their last and only encounter in the 2019 Open Sud de France.

Most importantly, the confidence attached to the victory will help the 35-year-old proceed ahead in the season. Indeed, Tsonga will be eyeing to win his first ATP title after 2019.

For avid tennis fans, Tsonga is inarguably one of the finest players concerning skill and class. Hopefully, he will continue this new momentum and play throughout the 2021 tennis season.

Also Read: “Extremely Low”: Roger Federer Talks About His Expectations at Qatar Open 2021