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Gael Monfils Has Iconic Reaction to Winning Five-Set Thriller at French Open

The 38-year-old Frenchman defied the odds during his first-round match.

Madison Williams

Gael Monfils reacts to winning a five-set match at the French Open.
Gael Monfils reacts to winning a five-set match at the French Open. / Roland Garros/Screengrab

Gael Monfils defied the odds and put on a show in his home country at the French Open late on Tuesday night.

Monfils, the oldest male player on tour at age 38, survived and pummeled through his first-round match against Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien to win 4–6, 3–6, 6–1, 7–6, 6–1. It was a five-set thriller, one that looked difficult for Monfils to bounce back from after dropping the first two sets.

But, it definitely helped having the fans at Court Philippe-Chatrier on his side under the lights as the match went on until around midnight. After the match, Monfils, in his iconic fashion, let out a loud roar to celebrate.

Just listen to that crowd erupt for the Frenchman as he won the final point of the match.

This was Monfils's 12th five-set win at Roland Garros in his career, which is a record for men's tennis players in the Open Era.

Monfils will have another tough matchup ahead of him as he will face World No. 5 Jack Draper in the second round on Thursday.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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