Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was born in Le Mans on 17 April 1985 to a Congolese father, Didier, a former handball player, and a French mother, Évelyne. In 2003 he won the US Open boys' title and reached No. 2 in the junior rankings, and he turned professional in 2004. His early career was nearly ended by injuries: a herniated disc, shoulder problems and abdominal and back trouble meant that between August 2004 and November 2006 he played only eight ATP singles events.
He announced himself at the 2008 Australian Open. He beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semifinals and reached the final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Later that year he won his first Masters 1000 title in Paris. At Wimbledon in 2011 he beat Roger Federer from two sets down in the quarterfinals, the first of two straight Wimbledon semifinals, and that year he also reached the ATP Finals title match, losing to Federer. On 27 February 2012 he rose to world No. 5, his career high, and at the London Olympics he won the doubles silver medal with Michaël Llodra.
He reached the French Open semifinals in 2013 and 2015, and in 2014 he won his second Masters title in Canada. In 2017 he helped France win the Davis Cup for the first time in 16 years. Over his career he collected 16 wins against the "Big Three": six each against Federer and Djokovic and four against Nadal.
Knee surgery in 2018 and back problems slowed him in his last seasons, and by spring 2022 he had dropped to No. 220. In April 2022 he announced that Roland Garros would be his last tournament, his "15th Roland", and he retired there in May 2022, the first of his celebrated French generation, alongside Gaël Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon, to stop. He won 18 singles titles and four doubles titles.