Monfils couldn't go on: "In the third set, I was toast".

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 20/01/2025 à 16h59

1 min to read

Monfils Open d'Australie

Gaël Monfils was forced to retire from his Round of 16 match against Ben Shelton, as the two men were engaged in a very close match with three tie-breaks contested.

However, physical fatigue caught up with Monfils, who was on a run of nine matches played in a row since the Auckland tournament.

As he told L'Equipe, the heat and the match scenario didn't allow him to save his energy: "In the third set, when I broke him, I was dead. If you look at the break point, you can see that I was on the run. I was roasted.

I felt that I couldn't push too hard on my legs, so I had to hold on to my service game, and I told myself that I had to hold on to my experience.

Right from the start, I felt tired. It was very heavy. I hoped we'd both serve well, without too many exchanges. We served well, but there were still exchanges. The plan didn't start well.

To turn it around, I had to push on my legs. His game wore me down. And I felt I'd crossed a limit. The head, it wants.

Let's say it: 'At some point, I'm not twenty anymore'. It's too physical for me.

I've given my all, I can't give any more, I've even given too much."