Former ATP No. 6 Gael Monfils won't come back to Winston-Salem, and instead, elected to return back the wild card he had initially received at the tournament.
The 2013 Winston-Salem Open finalist was expected to step up his preparations for the upcoming US Open, accepting a wild card at the ATP 250 event in North Carolina. The tournament was set to stage its 54th edition and looking to converge one of the ATP's seasoned veterans.
Sadly though, tournament director Jeff Ryan in a tweet on X, confirmed the Frenchman's withdrawal from the tournament, informing fans Monfils has returned his wild card - a classy move that earned massive praise from fans. Instead, 18-year-old American Alex Michelsen was confirmed as the direct beneficiary in the main draw.
Monfils has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since his return from a wrist injury that curtailed his French Open heroics. The 36-year-old won seven matches in the leadup to the final Grand Slam of the season, earning a first Top-10 win since March 2022 when he stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto.
"Dear valued fans: Gael Monfils has decided to return his wild card to the Winston-Salem Open. He has had an exceptional run during this hard court swing and we wish him continued success tonight success in Cincinnati and in New York at the US Open."
"We know many of you are disappointed in this news as are we. These are unfortunately the realities of a global sport with a long, arduous calendar. Please know our whole team and our player field will be sure to put on a world-class event, and we look forward to making new memories this year with all of you."
Playing four tournaments in the span of three weeks certainly took its toll on one of the ATP's most flamboyant entertainers. Monfils was soundly beaten for the 19th time by Novak Djokovic in his last outing at the Cincinnati Masters, and will now take a week to recharge his batteries before heading to New York.
0 Comments