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Murray and Monfils Meet In France Challenger
2 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Two of the games biggest stars of the last fifteen years met today as wildcards at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger second round.
Both Andy Murray, age 35, and Gael Monfils, 36, are not ready to hang up their racquets just yet and they are still aspiring for one or two more last hurrahs on the ATP World Tour. Today they played for the seventh time as pros – their first meeting since 2016 Roland Garros quarterfinals (won by Murray in five sets) – and Murray prevailed in today’s clash 63 62.
World no. 52 Murray now leads the head to head with world no. 322 Monfils 5-2.
Murray and Monfils first played against each other in Hamburg 2006 round of 64 and Murray won 64 61. Weeks later they met again in the first round of Roland Garros and this time Monfils triumphed in five sets 64 67 16 62 61. 2006 was the year Murray won his first title in San Jose (against Lleyton Hewitt). Monfils was still a striving youngster in 2006, he finished 2005 ranked 31 and then regressed to 46 at the end of 2006.
Today is likely the last time the two veterans will ever play.
Actually the first time Murray and Monfils played was when they were pre-teenagers in a junior tournament. “Obviously a very tough opponent in the first round,” Murray said. “He’s just coming back from a very long injury, it’s not easy especially at our age, we’re not young anymore… He’s been a good friend of mine on the tour. I think we first played each other twenty-five years ago when we were 11 or 12 years old.”
Murray will play Laurent Lokoli in the next round. He said he’s trying to sharpen his clay game to try to make a run at Roland Garros. Murray did not play Roland Garros last year, instead focusing on Wimbledon and grass court tennis, where he lost in the second round to John Isner. It was Murray’s first career loss to Isner.
Monfils has won 11 career ATP singles titles and over $21m in prize money while Murray has won 46 titles and over $63m in prize earnings.
Cory · May 6, 2023 at 11:25 am
Scoop, Murray will be inside top 50 for the first time in what 5+ years? Don’t quote me. A win today puts him to a challenger final. That should get him to maybe 40-45?
Scoop Malinowski · May 6, 2023 at 4:37 pm
Cory, Murray’s ranking is inflated by wildcards, his results are very inconsistent and mediocre. One or two good matches scattered here and there. Can’t sustain it though. Credit to him he keeps grinding though.