Murray and Monfils to clash for the first time since 2014… but this time on the ATP Challenger circuit

The Brit holds a 4-2 lead over the Frenchman in their career head-to-head

Gael Monfils and Andy Murray at Roland Garros 2014 Image Credit: Tennis Mag / Panoramic

May 1, 2023

A lot has happened in the lives of Andy Murray and Gael Monfils since the last time they met on court in the quarter-final round at Roland-Garros in 2014. Murray won that match in five sets to score his fourth win in six career meetings over the Frenchman but neither would have probably predicted that they would have to wait almost nine years for their next clash on court.

Murray, aged 35 and currently ranked 52nd in the world, and Monfils, aged 36 and now ranked 322 in the world, are both on the comeback trails though in vastly different positions in that journey. The paths of the two friends, who also regaled tennis fans with an online show during the 2020 lockdown, will cross once again on Tuesday when they face off on Tuesday in France. The only difference is that this time their clash comes at an ATP Challenger Tour event.

Both players are competing at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole in Southern France this week as they prepare for what they hope would be a nostalgic run at the French Open and the two will face off in the first round.

Monfils is 1-5 this season as he returns to the tour after an injury-plagued season with the Paris Olympics next year high on his list of goals. Murray is 8-7 for the year, which includes back-to-back first round losses in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, which has seen him to take one step down to the Challenger circuit.

Whatever happens on Tuesday, tennis fans would be delighted to see two of their most popular players and friends battle once again, even if the setting is not a high-stakes Grand Slam encounter.

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