At almost 38 years old, the Frenchman will challenge the Norwegian Casper Ruud this Wednesday in the second round of the US Open.
The American summer has definitely suited him well. At the end of May 2023, a foot injury caused him to plummet to 394th in the world rankings. And it was on the other side of the Atlantic that he found a second youth by reaching the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Toronto and the third round of the Cincinnati Masters, only beaten by Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Same thing again this year. With his confidence bruised, the former world number 6 gave himself a little rebirth, once again in Cincinnati.
A victory against Alex Popyrin, ranked 26th in the world and fresh winner of the Masters 1000 in Canada, then, above all, a remarkable victory against the winner of Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and silver medalist at Paris 2024, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish prodigy, exasperated by the great resistance of his elder, even lost his nerve by smashing his racket in rage. Monfils, who has never managed to beat Djokovic in 19 confrontations, offered himself a prestigious victory there…
