French players have not enjoyed a great deal of success at the Paris Masters in recent years.
In fact, only two Frenchmen have won the esteemed Masters 1000 title since the tournament was founded in 1970.
Sebastien Grosjean, the former world number four, became the first French player to win the Paris Masters after defeating former world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 2004 final.
Four years later, the second and last French star captured the Parisian title.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga remains the last French player to have won the Paris Masters
One of the most successful seasons of Tsonga’s career occurred in 2008, when the Frenchman was still a teenager.
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Tsonga began the year by reaching the Australian Open final. The French youngster defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the championship spectacle, before losing to Novak Djokovic.
Nine months later, Tsonga triumphed in front of his home fans.
Tsonga, seeded 13th in Paris, defeated Radek Stepanek, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and James Blake on his way to the final.
There, he overcame the challenge of David Nalbandian, triumphing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s path to the 2008 Paris Masters title
- R1: BYE
- R2: defeated Radek Stepanek 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
- R3: defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
- QF: defeated Andy Roddick 5-7, 6-4, 7-6
- SF: defeated James Blake 6-4, 6-3
- F: defeated David Nalbandian 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
“It’s pure, unadulterated joy,” Tsonga said of his victory in a conversation 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.
“My thigh was hurting, my shoulder was still hurting. Where else was it hurting? I was in pain almost everywhere.
“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 strong. I told myself I was lucky to be on the court and that I had to give it my all.
“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 players who have reached the final since 2008
Both Gael Monfils and Tsonga reached the final after 2008, but both failed to win the Parisian title.
Monfils qualified for the final in 2009 and 2010, losing to Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling, respectively.
Tsonga returned to the final 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 final.
“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 stated 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.”
Ugo Humbert, regarded as one of the better indoor hard-court players on the Tour, also reached the final in 2024, before losing to Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
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