Between Gaël Monfils and injuries, it’s a story that has – unfortunately – been going on for a long time. Elbow and shoulder during his younger years. Knee, foot then wrist more recently: throughout his career, the Frenchman had to deal with physical glitches. While he continues to alternate hot and cold, all the signals now seem to be green for his entry into the running at the US Open, on the night of Tuesday August 29 to Wednesday August 30 (at midnight, local time). de Paris) against the Japanese Taro Daniel (95?).
The 36-year-old, who fell to No. 162 in the world, has indeed had a fruitful summer. If his North American tour had started badly, with an entry defeat in Atlanta (Georgia), at the end of July, against the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (78?), he immediately made up for it by passing two rounds the following week, at Washington DC.
Above all, he then reached the quarter-finals of the ATP 1000 – the most important tournament category after the Grand Slams – in Toronto (Canada), beaten by the future Italian winner Jannik Sinner (6?), signing in the process a prestigious victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas (7?). Then he continued his momentum at the ATP 1000 in Cincinnati (Ohio), where he won against Briton Cameron Norrie (16?) and Australian Alex de Minaur (13?) – finalist in Toronto – before logically bow against the Serbian Novak Djokovic (2?).
Repeated injuries
Earlier in the year, Gaël Monfils had already glimpsed the hope of a revival at Roland-Garros. In the first round of the Parisian Grand Slam, the Frenchman emerged victorious from an epic fight in five sets (3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5) against the Argentinian Sebastian Baez (32? ), winning his first game on the main circuit since August 2022… before forfeiting his second round against Holger Rune (4?), once again dropped by his body.
“I don’t show it too much but there is more than disappointment. How many Rolands do I have left? That, above all, is the real question. I will not be able to answer it “, had then deplored “the Monf”, victim of a partial ligament rupture in the level of the left wrist.
Yet another setback for the Frenchman, who has chained the sawtooth seasons since the Covid-19. It was first a calf injury and mental fatigue, due to the health crisis, which truncated the first months of his 2021 season. The following year, when he had just won the Adelaide tournament ( Australia) and reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, a heel spurs (bony growth) in his right heel forced him to play just three tournaments between March and August, before ending his season prematurely.
A new team
It was only seven months later, in March 2023, that Gaël Monfils found his way back to competition. Meanwhile, the Frenchman and his wife, Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina (26?), have welcomed their first child. “Sometimes I can be tired or unhappy with what I’m doing [on the court] but as soon as I see my daughter, it all goes away. It’s a nice feeling, “he said, radiant, at the time of his recovery in Indian Wells (California).
Again, the lull was only short-lived: after two tournaments – and two defeats in the first round – the tricolor showman felt a sharp pain in his left wrist and was abandoned during his entry into the running at the ATP. 1000 from Miami, Florida.
“My comeback looks like a failure from the outside? I understand. But for me, the simple fact of standing on a court, it feels like a victory”, he wrote then on his official site in response to his detractors.
In mid-May, the Frenchman ended his collaboration, which began in 2021, with Austrian coach Gunter Bresnik and called on Dutchman Peter Lucassen and Swede Mikael Tillstrom – with whom he already worked between 2015 and 2018. sides, he had notably experienced a prolific end to 2016: a semi-final at the US Open, qualification for the end-of-year Masters (which brings together the eight best players of the season) and obtaining his best ranking (6?).
If he is now far from the world summit, the Frenchman has regained the taste of victory and forgotten the injuries in recent weeks. For good this time?
