Tennis – Australian Open 2025: Shelton takes out Monfils

What he (Gaël Monfils) is doing at his age is so impressive.

Monday morning, French time, “la Monf’” ended up making his 38 years felt like 48. Engaged in a bitter fight with Ben Shelton, seeded number 21, in the round of 16, he had to end up throwing away the sponge. At 7-6³, 6-7³, 7-6², 1-0, 40-0 on the American’s serve, after 2h57.

“I’ve been watching Gaël since I was little, he’s the biggest producer of highlights of all time,” said the winner during the on-court interview. “At 38, I hope to be able to walk without crutches. His level today (Tuesday) and the way he put on a show in Australia and New Zealand, it’s so impressive. I hope I can leave memories like these for my family when I’m his age. It’s really special, unheard of in the history of sport in general. »

Shelton sought to wear out Monfils

Titled in Auckland before arriving in Melbourne, Monfils had seven victories in twelve days. Already a lot for a man in the prime of life; undoubtedly too much for a “former” close to forty who had to go through a new duel of grueling intensity in order to be able to reach his eleventh Grand Slam quarter-final.

“He (Gaël Monfils) played a lot of long matches, so I wanted to make this one as physical as possible,” added Shelton. “He does a lot of things very well: counter-attacking, making sure you don’t feel comfortable from the back… So, being able to come and finish at the net during the points where he enjoyed running, finding a balance (between baseline and volley) was very important. It was very difficult, he served so well. There are so many things he does well, it’s a nightmare to play him. I can’t imagine what it must have been like when he was 22 like me. »

Monfils collapsed physically after breaking in the third set

During a fight where the two big arms ruled the roost on their serves, we had to wait until the third set to see the first break. Signed Monfils. At 1-1, following a second act won after an excellent tie-break. Enough to imagine the Frenchman surfing this wave to put his opponent’s head underwater. Nope. It was broken up immediately, and eventually sank.

A few moments later, 7-6³, 6-7³, 3-2, 30-0 on his commitment, the native of Paris played completely walking. As if a mirage had pushed him to see trees on the court to the point of believing he was in the middle of a Sunday country stroll. A simple pump before finding his second wind – as he has done so often in his career – could then hope for the French fans. But no. The evil was deeper.

I felt the ‘stab’ (in my right thigh).

Following a decisive game in which he was definitively left behind by conceding the double mini-break – 5-2 – on a double fault, the protégé of Mikael Tillström quickly stopped the costs. Leaving the court at the end of the set, he only returned for a few minutes, and spoke with his box, where his dear and loving Elina Svitolina, qualified for the quarter-finals earlier in the day, was present, before give up due to pain in the right thigh. “At first, I wonder if it’s not a cramp, I would even have liked it to be one,” he explained at a press conference. “But it didn’t vibrate in the leg, I felt the ‘stab’. I just see that I’m dead. I was really afraid of making the wrong move (and getting hurt) while trying to pull away to win a game or two. »

In the quarter-final, his third in a Grand Slam after having already reached this stage of the competition in Melbourne and a semi-final at the US Open in 2023, Ben Shelton has a meeting with Lorenzo Sonego, winner against Learner Tien. Revelation of the tournament, the latter, 19 spring, was not born when Gaël Monfils made his debut on the main circuit.

The other posters for the round of 16 at the Australian Open (Grand Slam, Melbourne Park, hard, 60,627,573 USD, results displayed from newest to oldest):