Gael Monfils has pulled out of Wimbledon despite recently returning to training after a foot injury.
The Frenchman, who was set to be seeded No. 19 in the men’s singles at the Grand Slam, has not played since undergoing surgery after losing to Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open in early May.
The injury forced him to miss his home major at Roland-Garros, and now the 35-year-old is focusing on making the warm-up events for the US Open – the final Grand Slam of the year which starts on August 29.
“I have started to train again this week and I have felt really good,” Monfils said in a Twitter thread.
“I will now be able to increase gradually my training and spend more time on the court to get back in shape both from a physical and tennis point of view.
“Due to my recent return to training and because of the physical demands of grass court tennis / best of five matches, my team and I have taken the decision not to play Wimbledon this year.
“I will focus instead on my preparation to be ready for the summer. I will return to competition in Hamburg followed by Kizbuhel before travelling to the US. See you all soon, Gael.”
Monfils had been enjoying a fruitful year on the ATP Tour, winning his opening event in Adelaide before reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, where he lost a tight encounter in five sets to Matteo Berrettini.
In his most recent match, Monfils lost 6-3 6-2 to Djokovic in Madrid, and went on to confirm in May that he would require a “small procedure” on his right heel.
