Andy Murray and Gael Monfils will be going head-to-head in an opening round, which a few years ago would have been surprising even on the ATP Tour.
On Wednesday it will be in the opening round of a Challenger.
The two veterans will square off in Aix-en-Provence, a 175-point Challenger being played during the second week of the Mutua Madrid Open and prior to the start of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Sandwiched in between two Masters 1000 tournaments–similar to the Phoenix Challenger during Indian Wells and Miami–it gives players who lost early in Madrid an opportunity for more tennis before taking their talents to Rome.
Joining Murray and Monfils in the field are top-seeded Tommy Paul, No. 2 seed Brandon Nakashima, Adrian Mannarino, Mikael Ymer, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, David Goffin, Quentin Halys, and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Murray and Monfils have not faced each other since 2014 at Roland Garros, where the Scot won a five-set quarterfinal showdown. He leads the overall head-to-head series 4-2, including 2-1 on clay. Both of their French Open encounters have required five sets, as Monfils got the best of a 2006 first-round battle 6-4, 6-7(2), 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.
given Murray’s state, Monfils might actually have a chance
Bless. Two old men giving it a go. Only “old” in tennis terms of course! Andy has a whole life waiting for him off court, as does Gael.