Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is furious. Currently focused on the Saint-Tropez Challenger, of which he is the director, the former world number 5 player discussed the level of French tennis in an interview with Var-Matin, estimating that there is “clearly a problem”. Last November, the Frenchman applied for the position of captain of the French team, but was rejected by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) in favor of Paul-Henri Mathieu. A choice that he has not digested.
“I was told about conflicts of interest between my activities and this position,” he regretted. “But in reality, I think we tend to be more of a nuisance than anything else. We are not asked anything. Whereas today, and even if the federation does not want to admit it, there is clearly a problem. When nothing works, we have to ask ourselves the right questions. It is a bit easy to say that this problem comes from those who were in office before. They will have to answer for their results.”
Moretton at the heart of the debate
The results are indeed disappointing, and the recent Davis Cup campaign of the Blues has not changed the situation. Beaten by Australia and Spain, Ugo Humbert, Arthur Fils, Arthur Rinderknech, Édouard Roger-Vasselin and Pierre-Hughes Herbert have only won one match in the group stage, against the modest Czech Republic. France will therefore not be among the last eight nations of the final phase, scheduled for next November.
Inevitably, the question of the FFT president arises following this new snub. Candidate for his own re-election next December, Gilles Moretton is also at the heart of controversies, with suspicions of perjury before the Senate. “I am tired of people talking about the sport that I cherish the most through stories of embezzlement,” whispered Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Another candidate will run: Germain Roesch, a former supporter of Moretton.