Hubert Hurkacz had to experience a painful debut at the Laver Cup. He played three matches for Team Europe and ended up losing them all. He played one singles match and two doubles matches at the event. Hurkacz partnered with Gael Monfils as the pair played against Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Hurkacz had never played against Shelton before and had now realized the power of the American.
In the second game of the match, Hurkacz was standing at the net and was ready to bring out his delicate volleys. Shelton unleashed a superhuman forehand, which was clocked at 99.4 miles per hour. The shot hit Hurkacz, where it hurt the most as he fell to the ground. Monfils immediately reached the spot and stretched his teammate’s legs. Fans knew it was a “close call,” as it could have seriously injured Hurkacz.
Ben Shelton hits Hubert Hurkacz at Laver Cup.
Gael Monfils immediately runs over to shake out his legs. 😂
Close call. That lefty forehand is lethal. 😅
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 24, 2023
Rihab time
— Muneeb Iqbal (@muneebiqbal_94) September 24, 2023
It’s dangerous out there! 😂🤣 #LaverCup
— ULTM8SerenaWilliamsf (@ultm8swfans) September 24, 2023
The Polish player looked fine in a few minutes as he lay down the court. Hurkacz got up on his feet with a smile as Monfils helped him back into the game. The pair lost the match and also gave the crowd a shock with the incident. The world No.16 did not face any problems after the match but has gotten to know about Shelton’s lethal forehand.
Hubert Hurkacz and Gael Monfils fail to collect points at Laver Cup
Monfils and Hurkacz could not contribute much to Team Europe at the Laver Cup. The debutants at the event lost their singles and doubles matches in straight sets. After losing the first four matches on day 1, Team Europe needed a desperate win. Casper Ruud provided the crucial point, but his team could not continue the winning streak. Shelton and Aliassime made sure that Team World would not concede any more points.
The Frenchman was the oldest player in this year’s edition and did not look at his best at the event. His shots were overshadowed by Shelton as the crowd also went along with him. The 20-year-old, along with Aliassime, did not give away a single breakpoint in both the sets. Monfils and Hurkacz could have coordinated better in the match, as there was a clear lack of communication during the match.
It was all over for Team Europe as the final match of day 2 went on for 1 and a half hours. The crowd was in full support of the young doubles pair, who served well and also had better groundstrokes during the rallies. With the event coming to an end now, the ATP tour will focus back on China again as two events are happening simultaneously. The players will move from Canada to China to collect crucial points.
