Gael Monfils withdraws from Rotterdam Open, further postpones his comeback
ATP
Gael Monfils further postponed his comeback as he withdrew from the 2023 Rotterdam Open.
The 36-year-old Frenchman is not getting any younger, and the wear and tear caused by his demanding play style has accumulated over the years, and it's been showing recently.
In his 20s, Monfils didn't have a problem playing over 60 matches in a season, but those days are long gone. In 2020, he completed 23 matches, and last year, he played only 21.
However, every time he steps onto the court, he's competitive, as he ended the 2022 season with a 14-7 record. However, he's been absent since the Canadian Open in Montreal, and Monfils has yet to make a comeback.
One event that was slated as his comeback was the Rotterdam Open. As he couldn't qualify directly through his ranking, because of missing a lot of playing time in recent months, Monfils was given a wild card by the tournament organizers.
He didn't receive the wild card only for his contributions to the sport in general, but also because of his previous success in Rotterdam. In fact, the last two times Monfils played in Rotterdam, he walked away with the trophy.
He is a two-time champion, having won in 2019 and 2020, and he reached the final in 2016, semi-final in 2009, and the quarter-final in 2010 and 2015. The Rotterdam Open has just been one of Monfils' most successful tournaments.
Unfortunately for the fans at the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, he won't appear there for the first time since his 2020 triumph this year, as Monfils withdrew from the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam.
Although many fans in the Netherlands could be disappointed by this development, the tournament organizers also gave them a reason to be happy. Home player Gijs Brouwer, who previously received a qualifying wild card, had now his wild card promoted to a main draw wild card, replacing Monfils.
