Gael Monfils was absent from the recent Ultimate Tennis Showdown, a exhibition tournament held at the Telenor Arena in Oslo. This was due to an unusual incident that resulted in his disqualification. The 37-year-old French player was originally scheduled to face Benoit Paire on the first day, but to everyone’s surprise, he was replaced by his compatriot Lucas Pouille at the last minute.
The event organizers initially cited an exchange of jokes as the reason for Monfils’ disqualification, without providing further details. However, a statement from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown shed more light on the incident. It was revealed that an exchange between Monfils and tournament supervisor Stephane Apostolou in the locker room resulted in a minor injury to the supervisor.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown expressed their satisfaction that Monfils had no malicious intent, but due to the injury sustained by a match official, no other option but to disqualify him was deemed appropriate. Monfils accepted the disqualification and he and the supervisor parted ways amicably. The tournament organizers bid farewell to Monfils in a post on Instagram, stating, “See you next time Gael!”
In recent weeks, the former ATP No.6 has been reflecting on the nearing end of his career and the desire to give his best before retiring. Monfils expressed his love for playing in front of the crowd and acknowledged that he doesn’t have many tournaments left.
Monfils also discussed the challenges of navigating the tennis circuit with his wife and fellow player Elina Svitolina, as well as their one-year-old daughter Skai. He admitted that it’s not easy and requires a different balance. Monfils expressed gratitude for the support they receive from their mothers and nannies, as they continue to learn and adapt to this new chapter in their lives.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org