Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reflect on their careers: Why didn't they win a Grand Slam?

Gael Monfils has launched the first episode of his podcast, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the guest. The Frenchmen reflected on their careers as contemporaries and discussed why neither of them has a Grand Slam title despite being prominent figures on the Tour.

Both are part of a golden generation of French tennis, alongside Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet, who energized the most important tournaments on the Tour for two decades. Only Monfils remains active, currently ranked No. 55 in the world, but he is already stepping outside the court with his podcast.

Tsonga and Monfils dive into their careers 

Both Tsonga and Monfils made their Tour debuts in 2004, and they agreed on how much tennis has changed over the years, with a greater focus on physicality and speed. “This sport has changed. Now, there is a lot of importance on the physical aspect of players, and the speed of play is higher than when we started,” Tsonga commented.

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“The playing style has also changed, now there are more very complete players but with less identity. The good thing is that the new generation has a lot of personality, and everyone wants to have their own signature. They don’t want to be boxed in and live in a bubble. Also, I feel like there are more friendships in the locker room, and the guys spend more time together.”

The Frenchmen lived through their best years on the Tour while witnessing firsthand the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. After highlighting the difference with the new generation of players, the former world No. 5 and 18-time ATP title winner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tried to explain why neither he nor Monfils (former No. 6) managed to win the elusive major title.

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“We simply didn’t win a Grand Slam because we weren’t good enough. We were good enough to go far, but not to win them. That’s a sincere and honest answer, and then we can speculate on what we should have changed or what needed improvement, but that’s how it happened.”

“The Big 4 were better than us. They made you feel weak,” added Gael Monfils. “For example, against Nadal in Monte Carlo, I played the best match of my life on clay and he beat me 6-0 in the third set. He is the best. I gave it my all, and he physically destroyed me. It’s incredible. Sampras was the greatest legend in our sport for winning 14 Grand Slams, and Nadal won 14 just at Roland Garros,” he emphasized.