French tennis star Gael Monfils suffered a massive injury scare at the UTS Grand Final recently. Monfils has had to contend with injuries throughout his professional life, and he has always come back stronger. However, at 37 years of age, a serious injury could bring a swift end to his career.
Monfils was playing against Jack Draper when he twisted his ankle in the third eight-minute quarter. He appeared to be in a lot of pain and wanted to leave the court to get his ankle strapped. Unfortunately, under UTS rules, players are not allowed to take medical time-outs in the middle of a quarter.
Draper was leading by six points after two quarters. The match had to be paused when Gael fell on the court, and his coach and the umpire rushed over to him. When Monfils got up, he limped over to the bench.
Gael Monfils limps out of UTS @TalkingTennisTT he was losing comfortably to Jack the Power Draper #UTS always look on the bright side of life being played by the stadium announcer pic.twitter.com/zzUAIWkC7h
— Jamie Jubon (@Jamie90Jubon) December 16, 2023
With 5 minutes left on the clock, Monfils decided to continue playing. However, he could not move around much, so he decided to stand in one spot and just return the shots. Gael could not keep it up, though. After a lengthy conversation with his physiotherapist, Monfils decided to withdraw from the match.
With Monfils forfeiting the match, Draper made it to the semifinals after defeating Holger Rune. When asked about Gael’s decision, Jack agreed that he made the right choice.
Gael Monfils has much to be proud of. The Frenchman has achieved incredible feats, but he is slowly nearing the end of his career.
Gael Monfils has no regrets
At 37, the French star’s career is on its last legs, with even match results not going his way. He recently stated that he had no regrets about his career or what he achieved on the court. On the positive side, Gael is just happy to be still playing.
Monfils has won 12 ATP titles in his career. He won his latest silverware as recently as this year when he defeated Pavel Kotov in Stockholm this year.
12 – Gael Monfils has won his 12th career ATP tournament becoming the fifth French player in the Open Era with the most ATP titles, surpassing Guy Forget. Cocorico. pic.twitter.com/wjMEnsLQfX
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 23, 2023
“It’s just crazy to be honest, just crazy, to actually still be playing. You know, I enjoy myself even more now. I have nothing to prove. I’ve been super lucky. It would be tough to say I have regrets, honestly,” he said (via Tennis Up To Date).
Gael Monfils will go down as one of the most entertaining tennis players of all time. While he won a number of titles, he never got a taste of Grand Slam success.
