Monfils Withdraws Before Facing Rublev in Madrid

The night session schedule on Manolo Santana Court was set to begin with the match between Gaël Monfils and Andrey Rublev this Friday in Madrid.

Unfortunately for spectators and tennis fans in general, the match will not take place, as the Frenchman withdrew just hours before stepping onto the court.

Suffering from illness, the 38-year-old player announced his withdrawal from the tournament via a video posted on his Snapchat account. Monfils had started his Madrid campaign strongly with a win over Borna Gojo.

As a result, defending champion Andrey Rublev advances directly to the third round. He will face Alexander Bublik, who defeated Alexei Popyrin (7-6, 7-6), for a spot in the round of 16.