Gael Monfils has been involved in some epic matches this season but the fans at the Bucharest Open next week will not get a chance to witness his electrifying tennis.
Monfils joined Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka in receiving a wildcard for the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Frenchman was the only one of that trio to win his opening match, recovering from 1-4 down in the third set to prevail against Aleksandar Vukic.
It was not a surprise to see Monfils get a wildcard for the tournament. He did not just receive this because of his exciting tennis but due to past results in Monte-Carlo, mostly notably being the runner-up at the event in 2016.
In fact, the Frenchman does not want people to only judge him by his playing style. Monfils recently hit out at fans for thinking he is more interested in putting on a show than winning, which he says is not the case.
The former French Open semifinalist has been hampered by consistent injuries throughout his career. However, he has played many tournaments so far this season due to being at full fitness, but the Bucharest Open is no longer part of his schedule.
Monfils has elected to withdraw from the Bucharest Open several days before it is set to begin. No official reason has been given for this decision. It is unlikely to be a physical concern since Monfils was still competing in Monte-Carlo when he withdrew.
His French compatriot, Hugo Gaston, is set to replace him in Bucharest. He is something of a mercurial talent. Gaston has mostly struggled for results in the last 12 months but has a chance to rectify that next week at the Bucharest Open.
The news will undoubtedly be a big disappointment to the fans who will attend the ATP 250 event. Hopefully, no more of the big names at the tournament withdraw.
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