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Monfils Delivers Another Paris Classic in Wild 5-Set Comeback

May 27th 2025

Just when you think you have seen the last of Gaël Monfils' drama, he pulled another one out of his hat. On Tuesday night at Roland Garros, the 38-year-old Frenchman pulled off a wild, gutsy five-set comeback win over Hugo Dellien: 46, 36, 61, 76(4), 61.

Early in the match, it looked like Monfils might not even finish. He took a scary fall into the courtside signage just five points in and stayed down for a bit, clearly shaken up. At that point, many would’ve folded. Not Gaël.

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He dropped the first two sets and didn’t look like himself — physically or mentally. But then something flipped. He locked in, the crowd got louder, and all of a sudden Monfils was moving like it was 2010 again. He crushed the third set, edged out a tight tiebreak in the fourth, and then ran away with the fifth.

That last set? Vintage Monfils. Energy, flair, emotion. The fans on Court Philippe-Chatrier were at full throat. You could feel how much it meant to him to fight his way through in front of a home crowd.

I didn’t want to go out like that,” he said after the match. And he didn’t. He dug in and reminded everyone why he’s still one of the most exciting players in tennis, even at 38.

Next up for Gaël: Jack Draper on Thursday.

Win or lose, nights like this are why fans keep watching Monfils. He brings something special — especially in Paris.