While Novak Djokovic lifts his third Coupe des Mousquetaires and makes history in Paris by becoming the male player with the most Grand Slams in history (23), this same Sunday in June, Andy Murray (36 years old and 40th of the rank ranking ATP) also won a title: the challenger of Surbiton on grass, 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 topped the world tennis rankings. The terrible hip injury caused Murray to retire and start from scratch, but he wasn’t the only one to sink in the mud to return to play in big tournaments. Injuries also led Gaël Monfils (36 years old and number 276 of the ranking) to fight challengers and Milos Raonic (32 years old and 545 in the ranking) reserve invitations to tournaments to once again rub shoulders with the best. This was the case in Toronto, where Murray, Monfils and Raonic meet in the round of 16.

“I hope to find the motivation to continue training and improve again. Motivation plays a big role here. Losing multiple times in the early rounds doesn’t help. I have no intention of quitting just yet,” the injured Murray confirmed when asked about the withdrawal, after losing in the second round of Wimbledon to Greece’s Tsitsipas. The Scot who, since his return to the slopes in 2021, with a hip prosthesis, has accepted his new reality by going from the final to taking points and sensations in it. challengers: “I would have liked to come down a category earlier and I would have liked to play more at this level”, confirmed Murray after winning both challengers before Wimbledon.

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

The Frenchman’s case stems from an ankle injury that happened just a year ago. While he seemed to be living a second youth, ranked number 20 in the standings, Monfils injured his ankle, missing the rest of the season. Since then, he has fought against himself and against injuries to continue to be this athletic and resilient player. The victories do not accompany him in 2024 but at Roland Garros he allowed himself to pay tribute to him. At home and in front of his home crowd, Monfils beat the Argentinian Báez in five sets in the first round of the great Parisian in a match that ended at one o’clock in the morning, with cramps from the Frenchman and a 0-4 lead. the last set. Even though the years pass, he still gives pills from his tennis with jumps and juggling. This does not 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 in the Canadian tournament.

Raonic was less fortunate, going the whole of 2022 without playing an official match, weighed down by an Achilles heel with four micro tears and with the thought of retirement swirling around his head. I did not cross challengers thanks to the figure of the protected classification, which allows the long-term injured to participate in the tournaments of their choice, since they had no ATP points. Without losing his essence and his excellent service, Milos wants to extend his good feelings at home and will face the American McDonald to reach the quarter-finals.

Stanislas Wawrinka does not participate in this tournament but he deserves a special mention for being another tennis player who does not accept to finish playing the sport he loves. The also champion of three Grand Slam tournaments (Roland Garros, Australian Open and US Open) and ranked 49th was enthused after losing in the Umag final last July and losing the opportunity to win a title six years later. later: “I know 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 kicks, are scenes from four successful careers that are getting closer and closer to their end. They fight on 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 their pride prevent them from leaving the din.

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