Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev described the information about Gael Monfils' sudden retirement as a strange story, as the Frenchman himself has not yet made an official statement on the subject. The news surprised the world sports community after the International Tennis Integrity Agency included the 40-year-old veteran in its list of athletes who have ended their careers.
The reason for this was Monfils' withdrawal from the sport's anti-doping protocols, which automatically deprives him of the right to participate in professional tournaments. The French showman was expected to end his 22-year career at the upcoming Masters in Paris, but under the new circumstances, his last match turned out to be a defeat by Lerner Thien in the second round of the US Open in September.
The 30-year-old Medvedev, who has five matches against the Frenchman in his career with a balance of three wins and two losses, learned details of the situation from journalists and did not hide his surprise. “It's a bit of a strange story, so maybe you can tell me more; I don't know. Who put him on this list? Does he want to give up?“, asked the former world number 1. After it was confirmed that his status had been officially changed, the Russian said a short “okay“ and addressed extremely warm words to the former number 6 in the rankings.
“Super fun. Extremely difficult to play against. "Especially when you're leading, it's very difficult to play against him. Because he relaxes and starts trying everything - shots between the legs and things like that," Medvedev said of the Frenchman's style, who has won 13 ATP titles.
In his career, Monfils has reached the semifinals of Roland Garros and the US Open, made two quarterfinals in Melbourne and earned over $25 million in prize money, ranking 25th in the all-time rankings. Known as one of the biggest attractions on the court in the 21st century, he has always loved playing in front of an audience, which makes his sudden withdrawal even more atypical.
„But, look, first of all, I hope he's okay, because I'm sure he wanted to play in Paris and so on. "So if he's retired, I don't know what's going on, but I hope he's having fun and feeling good. An incredible career and probably one of the few guys who probably doesn't have a single person who has a bad thing to say about him," Medvedev concluded, while the tennis world is still waiting for the first words on the subject from Gael Monfils himself.