MELBOURNE, Australia — In a thrilling display of resilience, Gael Monfils marked his name in the record books by joining Roger Federer as the only male players to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open at 38 or older, since the tournament’s expansion in 1988. Monfils staged a remarkable comeback, defeating No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Saturday.
Following his hard-fought victory, Monfils took a seat in the stands of the iconic Margaret Court Arena to cheer on his wife, Elina Svitolina, who triumphed over the women’s No. 4 seed and two-time major finalist, Jasmine Paolini, with a comeback of her own at 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
“I warmed up the court for her,” Monfils said, flashing a smile.
“I was inspired by my husband’s win,” Svitolina chimed in. “I watched a little bit during my match.”
With a remarkable ace clocking in at 134 mph (215 kph)—his 24th of the match, double that of Fritz—Monfils celebrated at the baseline, dancing as thousands of passionate fans erupted in cheers, many waving the red, white, and blue of the French flag.
“It was extremely difficult to score against him. He returned everything,” Fritz remarked. “It felt like my shots weren’t even making an impact… He played exceptionally well. There wasn’t much I could do.”
Monfils kicked off his 2023 season by clinching a title at a hard-court event in Auckland, New Zealand, making him the oldest man to claim a tournament victory since at least 1990.
“I consider myself fortunate. But every day is a new challenge. We work hard and I stay disciplined with my recovery. I believe in myself and that I can make an impact,” shared Monfils. Although he’s never surpassed the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, he did reach the semifinals at two majors, the most recent being the 2016 U.S. Open. “With a bit of fortune, here we are in the second week of the Australian Open.”
Federer was slightly older at 38 when he reached the semifinals at Melbourne Park in 2020, which ended up being his last tournament appearance.
Next up for Monfils is a clash against the younger Ben Shelton, a 22-year-old American seeded No. 21, who advanced after defeating No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
As he showcased his signature charismatic and captivating style during Saturday’s match, Monfils demonstrated an impressive ratio of 58 winners to just 34 unforced errors, losing only one service game. He also excelled at the net, winning 11 of the 15 points he finished there, while Fritz logged 16 successful net points out of 30 attempts.
“I’ve done my job,” Monfils expressed confidently.
The 27-year-old Fritz, who was the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the U.S. Open last September, became the highest-seeded male player to exit this year’s tournament. A trainer attended to his right foot during the match.
This victory also marked the end of a 12-match losing streak for Monfils against top-five players in Grand Slam events.