Ben Shelton (No. 20) will meet Gael Monfils (No. 41) in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open on Sunday, January 19.Monfils enters the Round of 16 after his four-set win on Friday over Taylor

Monfils was struggling with a back injury at the start of the fourth set as Ben Shelton advanced to the quarter-finals

On the same day, his wife Elina Svitolina beat WTA world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini 2-6 6-4 6-0 to progress into the round-of-16 at Melbourne Park. For years, the French tennis star spoke about his big desire to win at least one Grand Slam before retiring.

French veteran Gaël Monfils rolled back the years to stun the USA’s No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday, winning 3-6 7-5 7-6(1) 6-4 after three hours and eight minutes of scintillating tennis.

After his historic win, Monfils returned to Margaret Court Arena and sat in the stands to watch his wife, Svitolina, eliminate the women's No. 4 seed, two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 at night.

Gael Monfils has often been blamed for not taking full advantage of his talent during his career. Indeed, the French veteran could have achieved more prestigious results although he played in the same era as legends such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Ivo Karlovic holds the ATP Tour record, having won through to final in Pune, India in 2019 at the age of 39 years, 311 days. Monfils edges Stan Wawrinka who was aged 38 years and 124 days when he reached the final at Umag, Croatia in 2023.

Gael Monfils (No. 41 in the world) faces Taylor Fritz (No. 4) in the Round of 32 at the Australian Open.Fritz earned a three-set win over Cristian Garin (6-2, 6-1, 6-0) in the Round of

Gael Monfils exits Australian Open with an injury, ending an impressive run. Read more on his dramatic retirement and future plans! The post Gael Monfils Forced To Retire From Australian Open Due to Back Injury appeared first on ComingSoon.

More remarkably: Djokovic has now advanced to his fiftieth major semifinal, after beating Alcaraz in a grueling four-set match that went to about 1:00 am local time in Melbourne. That number sets yet another Djokovic record in men’s tennis, further cementing the athlete’s legendary status.

Monfils and Svitolina have produced some of the best tennis of their respective careers since becoming parents.