Gael Monfils says he is happy to be back to competitive tennis but noted he is well aware that one more serious injury and he is done with pro tennis. Last May, Monfils announced his withdrawal from the French Open to undergo a right heel injury.
In his first tournament back, Monfils again injured his foot at the Montreal Masters in August. On Wednesday, Monfils played his first match since last August as he was beaten 6-3 6-1 by Jordan Thompson in the Indian Wells first round.
“I’m coming back because I love playing tennis. But the end is there, you have to tell yourself. I have to set myself goals that are high enough for me to really motivate myself to play. The goal is to go to the 2024 Olympics,” Monfils told L’Equipe, as revealed on We Are Tennis.
Monfils: It’s done if I hurt myself again
“I’m 37 (36 in fact), I have a kid. It’s harder. And above all, I’m afraid of something. If I hurt myself again, it’s over. I know I’m on a thread. In your head, you’re fine, you’re happy to be back, but be careful,” Monfils added.
“I’m 37 (36 in fact), I have my kid… It’s harder. (…) And above all, I’m afraid of something. If I get hurt again, it’s is over. Curtain. I know I’m on a thread. In your head, you’re fine, you’re happy to be back, but be careful.”
Gael Monfils — We Are Tennis France (@WeAreTennisFR) March 9, 2023
Meanwhile, Monfils played his first match in six months on Wednesday in Indian Wells.
Expectedly, Monfils didn’t play his best tennis right from the jump and Thompson took the advantage and beat the Frenchman in straight sets. In the first set, Monfils had a 3-2 lead without any breaks. Then, Thompson earned back-to-back breaks and won four consecutive games to seal the opener.
After losing the first set, Monfils saved two break points in the second game of second set to tie the set to a game apiece. In the rest of the match, Thompson absolutely dominated as he won the next five games to seal a straight-set win over Monfils. Monfils will now turn his focus on Miami.
