Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with a wrist injury, Holger Rune gets a walkover into third round
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ByEurosport
Updated 31/05/2023 at 22:18 GMT
Gael Monfils has withdrawn from the French Open due to a wrist injury ahead of his second-round match against Holger Rune. Monfils told reporters: "There's a problem with my wrist that I cannot solve, I felt it during the match [against Sebastian Baez]." As a result, Rune receives a walkover into the third round, with Alexander Zverev v Alex Molcan to be the night session match on Thursday.
'It's Gael Monfils at his best!' - Wilander full of praise for French star's performance
Gael Monfils has withdrawn from the French Open due to a wrist injury.
The world No. 322 told reporters late on Thursday evening: "There's a problem with my wrist that I cannot solve, felt it during the match.
"Unfortunately the doctor said it’s not good to play with that type of injury.
"I'm not really sure what I feel, but it's more than being disappointed. How many [more] Roland-Garroses will I play? That's the question. I don't know what the answer is. How many will I play?
"For the time being I'm trying to digest this."
Monfils played an emotional five-setter against Sebastian Baez in front of a boisterous home crowd on Tuesday night.
The Frenchman was trailing 0-4, 30-40 down in the fifth set of his first-round Roland Garros clash with the Argentine to then triumph 3-6 6-3 7-5 1-6 7-5 in a match that finished at 12:18am local time.
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Watch extraordinary final game as Monfils battles cramp to win five-set epic
The 36-year-old was due to play No. 6 seed Holger Rune in the second round in the evening match on Philippe-Chatrier on Friday night, but he confirmed he would not be able to play any further part in the Grand Slam.
Eurosport tennis expert Tim Henman says Monfils will be "bitterly disappointed" not to play on at his home Slam.
"To come through that match and the atmosphere out on Chatrier in front of his home fans he will be bitterly disappointed," he said. "He won't have the opportunity to go out there again tomorrow night.
"There are some injuries that you can play through but the wrist is a very difficult one."
Eurosport's Mats Wilander believes the changes to racquets may be a factor in why players on the ATP and WTA tours get wrist injuries.
"That night match against Holger Rune would have been unbelievable," he said. "After that five-set match against Sebastien Baez I wouldn't have thought that Monfils had that much left in the tank.
"It's interesting no-one ever had a wrist injuries in the 70s, 80s or even the 90s.
"It's since we changed the strings guys and girls can hit the ball so hard with so much spin but with that comes a lot of stress with both wrists. Not just the right wrist but also the left. It might have something to do with the wind.
"You have a lot of mis-hits when it's windy. It might have something to do with the tennis balls. Some of the players are complaining that balls get very heavy or dead.
"I'm not sure what the reason is but also Gael hasn't played enough tennis I think to withstand that kind of pressure."
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