Disappointment and concern for Gaël Monfils in Canada. The Frenchman, injured in the right foot, had to give up Thursday August 11 in the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Montreal, when he was led 6-2, 0-2 by the Briton Jack Draper (82nd in the world).
Sport can be so cruel
Monfils is forced to retire after sustaining an injury in his 3rd round match vs Draper #OBN22 pic.twitter.com/f8kSunaXyK
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) August 12, 2022
The Frenchman, 20th in the world, returned to the courts this week, after three months of absence due to a right heel injury. It was on a trivial support that he seemed struck down Thursday in this area of the foot, then collapsing to the ground. Lying down for a few seconds, he was picked up by Draper and the umpire from his chair, who helped him to sit on a folding chair brought to the court, before finally returning to his chair.
Monfils did not hide his pain when the physiotherapist intervened to try to relieve him. In vain: the 35-year-old Parisian, limping back heavily on the court to try to resume the game, first advanced towards his camp in the stands. After a short discussion, he decided not to continue the game. “The first exams were not good, so I decided to return to Europe to consult my medical team”then wrote the Frenchman on Twitter.
Hello friends, difficult evening tonight in Montreal. The first examinations not being good, I made the decision to return to Europe to consult my medical team. I will let you know as soon as possible. Thank you again for your messages of support and see you soon pic.twitter.com/IQAN9ahZNR
— Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils) August 12, 2022
His return to competition this week had been encouraging, since he had successively beaten the Spaniard Pedro Martinez (53rd) in three sets, then the American Maxime Cressy (31st) after a tight fight (7-6 [12-10]7-6 [8-6]. This injury, if it constitutes a relapse, would be a big blow for Monfils, just over two weeks before the US Open, one of his second-half season goals.