“A few days of rest and it will be fine” – Monfils optimistic about ankle injury

Gaël Monfils twisted his ankle against Jack Draper during their UTS group-stage clash, but it appears the injury wasn’t as severe as first feared

Gael Monfils, UTS Grand Final, London, 2023 – © UTS

Jérémy Baudu

December 17, 2023

Tennis fans were holding their breath on Saturday when Gaël “La Monf” Monfils twisted his right ankle and retired against Jack Draper, in his second match at UTS London, in the grand final of the competition.

Just a couple of weeks before the start of the 2024 season, there was concern about the state of the French player’s ankle, after he limped off court in London. While Ugo Humbert was preparing to replace him in his third match against Holger Rune, Monfils reassured everyone by returning with a racket in hand to take to the court.

The 37-year-old played good tennis against the Dane, making a series of lateral runs. But he eventually lost by three quarters to one (17-9, 15-14, 9-19, 16-13), ending his chances of qualifying for the UTS London final four.

I’M STILL GOING TO HAVE A FOLLOW-UP MRI
Gaël Monfils

At the end of the match, Monfils went to the mixed zone to take stock of a rather special day. The Frenchman gave an optimistic update about the state of his ankle and spoke about his adventure at UTS in 2023 of which he has very good memories, especially in Los Angeles where he reached the semi-finals.

“It’s always annoying when you get injured in a tournament, not being able to come back and play. It’s injuries but they’re not too serious. It’s nice to have the chance to come back to reassure the public,” Monfils said.

“I sprained my sprain a grade one, I’m on anti-inflammatories. I put a lot of ice on, I did acupuncture. I felt I could play my third match of the tournament, so yes I wasn’t 100 per cent but I wasn’t too far away either.

“I don’t think it’s too serious, I’m still going to have an MRI but to be able to play three hours later and have a good match against the world No. 8 is a good sign. A few days of rest and we’ll be fine.

“I’ve played UTS in Los Angeles, Frankfurt and here in London, I really loved Los Angeles. The atmosphere, the atmosphere and the place, it’s my best moment of the year at UTS.”

We will see Gaël Monfils at UTS again in 2024, it has been announced that the Frenchman will be competing in Oslo next February!