Gael Monfils Marks 40th Birthday With US Open Victory

Gael Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday by reaching the second round of the US Open, defeating Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. BBC Sport reported that the result made Monfils the oldest man to win a main-draw match at the tournament since Jimmy Connors in 1992.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNd0BY6mN44

The French veteran made a nervous start against the 60th-ranked Vallejo and dropped the opening set. Monfils then took control, conceding only three games across the next three sets as he completed the comeback at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The victory was his 131st in Grand Slam competition, extending the record he already held for a French man.

The occasion carried added significance because Monfils is playing the final major tournament of his career. The former world number six announced last year that he would retire at the end of the 2026 season, making this his 18th and final US Open appearance. His best result in New York was a run to the semifinals in 2016.

Supporters marked the milestone after the match with a rendition of Happy Birthday during Monfils' on-court interview. He thanked the crowd and described playing on his birthday as special, while also emphasizing the atmosphere he has experienced in New York throughout his career.

Monfils said he had been determined not to exit in the opening round. He explained that, despite the uneven beginning, he believed he could improve and found a rhythm by varying his backhand and using his forehand. Once he settled, his shot-making and movement helped him dictate the remaining sets.

The win sends Monfils into a second-round meeting with American 14th seed Learner Tien. It also extends his farewell at Flushing Meadows, where the crowd's birthday tribute accompanied a result that placed him alongside Connors in the tournament's age records. Monfils now has another match to continue the final US Open run of his career.

The match came 34 years after Connors achieved the same age milestone in New York on his own 40th birthday.