Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is set to play an exhibition match in 2026, four years after he announced his retirement.
The French icon was considered one of the biggest talents of his generation, and he was an unfortunate casualty of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic’s dominance.
Tsonga reached as high as World No. 5 in the ATP Tour rankings and even reached a Grand Slam final at the 2008 Australian Open.
The iconic Frenchman has been picked to play a recently retired star in what is dubbed their final-ever match.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will play exhibition match against recently retired ATP star
Tsonga has bizarrely been picked as Ricardas Berankis’ final opponent as he is set to wave farewell to his tennis career.
Berankis announced his retirement at the end of 2025, after a career which saw him reach the top 50 of the rankings.
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The departing star has been confirmed to play one final match on home soil, against Tsonga, in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Tsonga’s tennis return is set to take place on 28 March at the SEB Arena, a venue which can hold 1,278 for tennis.
The Frenchman’s last competitive match came on home soil at the 2022 Roland Garros, where he was defeated to Casper Ruud.
Ricardas Berankis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s sole meeting in tennis
There doesn’t appear to be a direct link between Tsonga and Berankis ahead of their meeting in the latter’s retirement match.
The pair did meet once competitively, however, and it happened on a Grand Slam stage at Wimbledon in 2019.
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Tsonga and Berankis played out a second round match at SW19, which quite comfortably went the way of the Frenchman.
Berankis only ever reached as far as the second round of Wimbledon, which happened on four occasions in 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2022.
He fared better at the other three Grand Slams, where he managed to reach the third round on four occasions across the US Open, Australian Open, and Roland Garros.
