Paris, May 10 (BNA) Veteran French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon have received wild cards for the main draw of the French Open, organizers said Tuesday.
Tsonga, the former Australian Open runner-up, announced earlier this season that he was retiring after a claycourt Grand Slam event. Playing at Roland Garros begins on May 22nd.
Simon said he is retiring at the end of the season after 20 years of playing professional tennis.
Tsonga and Simon are both 37 and helped France win the Davis Cup in 2017, according to the Associated Press.
Tsonga has reached the semi-finals twice at the French Open, in 2013 and 2015. He won 18 ATP titles and reached the 2008 Australian Open final, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Tsonga reached the fifth highest career rank in 2012 but dropped to the 263rd position after a lengthy injury absence. Simon has 14 career titles and is best ranked at number six in 2009. He ranked 160.
The 12 entry cards in the main draw announced on Tuesday were reserved for French players. In addition to Tsonga and Simon, the French Tennis Federation said Lucas Pouille, Corentin Mutit, Manuel Gennard and Grégoire Barriere are also invited to play at Roland Garros.
In the women’s lottery, wild cards were awarded to Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, Fiona Ferro, Elsa Jacquemot, Leolia Jeanjean, Chloe Paquet and Harmony Tan.
On Monday, Katie Folints and Michael Moh received entry cards from the US Tennis Association. The USTA and the French Tennis Federation offer reciprocal invitations to wild cards for their respective Grand Slam events.
The French Federation has a similar agreement with Tennis Australia. Two entries of wild cards awarded to Australian players have yet to be announced.
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