Gael Monfils Loses Rackets To Airline Mishap, Loses Match To Inferior Opponent

This week at the Munich Open, the Frenchman Gael Monfils was due to play his first match since that “ back injury” at Indian Wells. Getting to Germany was the first step. That should be the easy part, since the dude lives in Switzerland. But on an April 28 flight from Geneva to Munich, Monfils learned the risks of sending rackets through checked luggage:

In an exchange with the airline, Monfils said, “all my rackets are broken...So bad,” asked, “how am I supposed to play in Munich now,” and concluded, “I am hitting tonight with a racket that is not mine...not ideal. Trying to find a solution for next week.”

It is now next week. The No. 40 Monfils played today with his usual Wilson Ultra Tour stick, but perhaps this luggage mishap disrupted his preparation for the clay court event, and perhaps that explains his 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 loss to world No. 90 Mirza Basic, which marks his third-straight loss to a player ranked outside the top 60.

There is, of course, an alternate (and evergreen) explanation for today’s defeat, which is that he is Gael Monfils.