Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a French tennis player born on April 17, 1985, in Le Mans, France.
Tsonga holds citizenship in both France and the Republic of the Congo, a dual national identity he has carried throughout his public life. He was born in Le Mans and went on to build a career as a professional athlete competing in tennis at the international level.
Tsonga has used the French language across his career and public engagements. As a citizen of France, he has represented the country in his sport, taking part in the professional game as both a tennis player and an athlete in the broader sense of that classification.
In recognition of his work, Tsonga received the Knight of the National Order of Merit. His dual citizenship — French and Congolese — alongside that honor reflects the layered national identity he has maintained as a professional tennis player.
Quotes by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
I actually like to kid around and laugh, and on the court I do like to put on a show.
When you play against Roger, it's always special. First, because you play in a big area, in a big stadium anyway. And every time the crowd is for him, so it's quite a good sensation.
My game is suited to grass because I'm really aggressive on the court. I have a big serve, I'm quick, I hit the ball hard, and I go to net so I have everything a player needs to do well on grass.
I get some letters from a lot of people. Sometimes it's nice, with letters from kids or from parents of kids who want to be tennis players, but I also get racist letters. It's really painful to receive something like that because you're not ready for that. You think to yourself, 'That's really bad.' But I realise that there are people like that.