Monfils crashes into court signage, battles back to win five-setter at Roland Garros

Gael Monfils suffered a scary fall on Tuesday in the early stages of his first-round match at Roland Garros, but showed his fighting spirit in a courageous comeback at his home Slam.

The 38-year-old rallied past Hugo Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 in a dramatic battle that marked Monfils’ third two-sets-to-love comeback and first since the 2015 Australian Open. Monfils earned his 40th match win at the clay-court major, tying Yannick Noah for most victories at the event among Frenchmen in the Open Era.

For a moment in the early stages, it did not seem like the match would last long. During the fifth point, Monfils chased down a forehand when he tripped and crashed into the sidewall. Monfils let go of his racquet while falling onto the clay, with his right knee slamming into the court signage. He remained seated on the court, grimacing in pain while the chair umpire checked on him.

That’s that Gael Monfils energy 🕺

He weathers the storm from two sets down to overcome Dellien 4-6 3-6 6-1 7-6(4) 6-1 🔥

.#rolandgarros #monfils #frenchopen #tennis pic.twitter.com/xEffA8wi2m

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 27, 2025

Fans inside Court Philippe-Chatrier held their breath while Monfils took a medical timeout and received treatment on his right knee and both hands. The No. 42 player in the PIF ATP Rankings dropped serve the following game and eventually fell to a 5-2 deficit. Yet Monfils fought his way back to get back on serve before Dellien secured the first set 6-4 inside Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Dellien faced physical struggles of his own as the match wore on. The 31-year-old, hampered by cramps, struggled to move freely in the third set. Monfils fought back into the match and brought the home crowd alive with his vintage defence and shotmaking skills.

After holding his nerve in the fourth-set tie-break, Monfils raced to 5-0 lead in the fifth set. He showed no signs of physical ailment beyond the first set, closing out the dramatic win after three hours and 35 minutes. The victory marked Monfils’ 12th five-set win at Roland Garros.

Monfils will next face fifth seed Jack Draper. The Briton leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 1-0. Monfils improved to 17-7 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

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