While Novak Djokovic lifted his third Coupe des Mousquetaires and made history in Paris by becoming the male player with the most Grand Slam tournaments in history (23), that same Sunday in June, Andy Murray (36 years old and 40th in the ranking ranking ATP) also won a title: the challenger Surbiton turf, a fifth category tournament. The contrast is striking, especially since, until recently, the Scot also won Grand Slam tournaments (two Wimbledons and a US Open) and was at the top of the world tennis rankings. The horrific hip injury forced Murray to drop out and start from scratch, but he wasn't the only one to fall through the mud to play in big tournaments again. Injuries also led to Gaël Monfils (36 years old and number 276 in the general ranking) ranking) to fight challengers and Milos Raonic (32 years old and 545 in the ranking) reserve invitations to tournaments to once again compete against the best. This was the case in Toronto, where Murray, Monfils and Raonic face each other in the round of 16.

“I hope to find the motivation to continue training and improve. Motivation plays a big role in this. Losing several times in the first rounds doesn't help. I have no plans to stop at the moment,” confirmed an injured Murray when asked about his retirement, after losing in the second round of Wimbledon to Greece's Tsitsipas. The Scotsman who since his return to the courts in 2021, with a hip prosthesis, has accepted his new reality, going from playing the final rounds to having to collect points and sensations in this one. challengers: “I would have liked to have gone down in the category earlier and I would have liked to play more at this level”, confirmed Murray after having conquered both challengers before Wimbledon.

The fact that great players had to go through these lower level tournaments, often due to injuries, has always been seen as a symptom of decline and loss of play. But nothing could be further from the truth, in these categories appear several Top 100 who do not want to lose rhythm and prefer to gain confidence over the course of a week rather than giving in at each first round of the ATP 250 or 500 tournaments. And Gaël Monfils, one of the great surprises of the Canadian Masters 1000, also passed through these tournaments.

The Frenchman's case is due to an ankle injury that occurred just a year ago. While he seemed to be enjoying a second youth, positioned in 20th place in the rankings, Monfils injured his ankle, missing the rest of the season. Since then, he has fought against himself and against injuries to continue to be that athletic and elastic player. The victories will not accompany him in 2023 but at Roland Garros he took the liberty of paying tribute to him. At home and in front of his supporters, Monfils beat the Argentinian Báez in five sets in the first round of the great Parisian in a match that ended at one in the morning, with the Frenchman cramping and a comeback from 0-4 in the last set. Even though the years pass, he still excels in his tennis by jumping and juggling. This doesn't change anything for Monfils who, after beating Tsitsipas (6-4 and 6-3) will fight this morning against the Australian Vucik to find a place among the eight best of the Canadian tournament.

Raonic was less fortunate, as he spent the entire year of 2022 without playing an official match, weighed down by an Achilles heel with four micro-tears and with the idea of ​​retirement swirling around his head . He did not go through the challengers thanks to the protected ranking figure, which allows long-term injured people to participate in tournaments of their choice, because they had no ATP points. Without losing his essence and his great serve, Milos wants to extend his good feelings in his native country and will face the American McDonald to reach the quarterfinals.

Stanislas Wawrinka is not participating in this tournament but he deserves a special mention because he is one of the tennis players who does not agree to finish the sport he loves. The also champion of three Grand Slam tournaments (Roland Garros, Australian Open and US Open) and 49th in the ranking was emotional after falling in the Umag final last July and losing the opportunity to win a title six years ago later: “I know it's “It's stupid to cry, but I love this sport and you make it special.” Even if he no longer has the level of yesteryear, the Swiss maintains his serve and his powerful forehand present on the circuit.

Wawrinka's tears, Murray's screams, Monfils' jumps or Raonic's serves are the scenes of four successful careers that are getting closer and closer to their end. They fight for every point, trying to delay the natural process of a tennis player's life as much as possible. Retirement seems closer and closer but their love and pride prevent them from abandoning the noise.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes in Facebook And Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.

_