Injury Forces Monfils To Withdraw From Monte-Carlo Masters
Gael Monfils won't be competing at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters after yet another injury setback.
Monfils, once a semi-finalist in 2015 and finalist in 2016, has not graced the Monte-Carlo courts for seven long years. Currently ranked 324th on the ATP Tour, his protected ranking due to injury allows him entry into the tournaments of his choice. Regrettably, his highly-anticipated comeback to clay courts in Monte Carlo will have to wait.
Despite his optimism about recovering from a wrist injury sustained during the Miami Open, Monfils had to withdraw from the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, which is the first ATP 1000 clay-court event in the calendar, running from April 9th to 16th. After the event in Miami, he said:
"Am I making a comeback? Or am I about to quit tennis? Not obvious, judging by the media coverage I have received in recent weeks. Let’s set the record straight: Yes, I lost my first two matches in the United States. Yes, then I injured my wrist and had to forgo my last match in Miami. Yes, it is disappointing, but it is also not ‘a catastrophe’, nor ‘devastating’ as the most sensationalist media have written…"
The Frenchman claimed that the injury is not serious and he wanted to come back at the Monte-Carlo Masters, but now we know that it won't be possible.
"No, it is not a serious injury: it is an inflammation, linked to a neuro-muscular problem. Infiltration, ultrasound and TECAR therapy should remedy this. And hopefully, I’ll be on the court in two weeks, at the Monte Carlo Open. So no, this is not the end of my career (although it will happen sooner or later, I am well aware of it)."
This year, we saw numerous withdrawals from the Monte-Carlo Masters. Big names like Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Pablo Carreno Busta have all bowed out, making the tournament all the more unpredictable.
On the flip side, world number one Novak Djokovic, who was absent during the American swing, will mark his return, trying to capitalize on a golden opportunity presented to him.
The French star's withdrawal from Monte-Carlo has opened up a spot for British player Jack Draper, who is now directly included in the main draw. Consequently, Draper's wild-card entry is up for redistribution, with young Frenchman Luca Van Assche being a strong contender.
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