Gael Monfils withdraws from tournaments in Eastbourne and Queen's
ATP
Gael Monfils will not be competing at two prominent warm-up grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon, which will cast doubt on his participation at the All England Club.
Monfils has endured an injury-ravaged 2022 season, which, it has to be said, began brightly Down Under. The veteran Frenchman won his 11th career title at the Adelaide International 1 without losing a set.
With all the momentum, Monfils advanced into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the second time in his career. Despite mounting a comeback from two sets to love down, he lost in five sets to Matteo Berrettini.
Monfils performed decently in Indian Wells, where he notched one of the best wins of his career by beating World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. But his form has taken a sharp decline in recent months, largely because of persistent injuries.
After the Australian Open, he was ranked World No. 16 but now finds himself outside the Top 20. He played one tournament during the European clay-court swing and lost in the second round of the Madrid Open to Novak Djokovic.
He withdrew from a spate of tournaments, including Monte Carlo, Rome, Lyon, and his home Grand Slam, Roland Garros, because of a heel injury. Monfils opted to undergo minor surgery.
It's a bittersweet moment for the 35-year-old, who very recently was delighted to share the news that his wife, WTA star Elina Svitolina, is expecting a baby girl in October.
And now Monfils won't be competing in Eastbourne and at Queen's, which are two very important tournaments for players seeking to get game time on grass before Wimbledon.
Although Monfils has a modest record on the surface, it is a missed opportunity for him to gain valuable ranking points as he doesn't defend a ton. This will also likely mean that the former World No. 6 might miss his second Grand Slam in succession at this year's Wimbledon.
