Gael Monfils said he has played for the last time in Toronto after crashing out of the Masters in Sunday's opening round of the ATP Masters to a Chilean qualifier.
The 38-year-old French tennis icon missed out on four match points to exit 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) to number 142 Tomas Barrios Vera, who won the first Masters match of his career and ended a seven-match loss streak at the ATP level.
Monfils symbolically touched the baseline as he walked off a loser after nearly three hours in torrid summer temperatures approaching 35 Celsius.
"There's no explanation; it's the last one," he said. "It will be two years to play (again) in Toronto, so pretty much I won't be able to play it. Obviously I think the next one is too old for me, so I think it was the last time I'll play here."
He added: "I actually thought at the end, and I was like, 'Well, I think it's, unfortunately, but the last time I think I would play here.'"
Monfils had little good to say about his effort.
"Without taking credit from my opponent, it was a bad match from my side, not the quality that I want, not the level that I want to perform," he said.
"(I need to) try to work hard, feel this winning (habit come) back a little bit, and try to still believe.
"Keep my head up, even though it's not easy, but I will try my best."
With AFP
Comments