Gael Monfils’ return to action following a lengthy absence has not gone according to plan but the Frenchman says his latest setback is far from “a catastrophe” or “devastating”.

The mercurial Monfils missed most of the 2022 season due to a foot injury and he only made his return following a seven-month layoff at the Indian Wells Open earlier in March.

After falling early in California, he played one match in the Phoenix Challenger before he took part in the Miami Open last week. However, his first-round clash against Ugo Humbert lasted only six games before he retired with a wrist injury.

The 36-year-old was downcast after the match, saying: “Of course, you have goals and you want to achieve some goals, but sometimes you have to have a step back and see. And then, of course, if one day I cannot anymore, I cannot anymore. But I will do everything to keep playing.”

Fast forward a week and Monfils is upbeat about his future as he gave an update about the injury and his future.

“Am I making a comeback? Or am I about to quit tennis? Not obvious, judging by the media coverage I have received in recent weeks,” he wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

“Let’s set the record straight: Yes, I lost my first two matches in the United States. Yes, then I injured my wrist and had to forgo my last match in Miami. Yes, it is disappointing, but it is also not ‘a catastrophe’, nor ‘devastating’ as the most sensationalist media have written…

“No, it is not a serious injury: it is an inflammation, linked to a neuro-muscular problem. Infiltration, ultrasound and TECAR therapy should remedy this. And hopefully, I’ll be on the court in two weeks, at the Monte Carlo Open.

“So no, this is not the end of my career (although it will happen sooner or later, I am well aware of it).”

Monfils has made it clear that he wants to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics and he is not ready to give up.

“My comeback looks like a failure from the outside? I understand. But for me, just standing on a court looks like victory,” he added.

“That’s why some titles that I saw in the press, like ‘Soon the end clap for Monfils’ or ‘Despite all the good will in the world, Gaël Monfils does not get by’ really dismayed me.

“You can say I played like crap, or I missed my comeback, no worries. But don’t tell me ‘demoralized,’ ‘finished,’ or ‘ready to give up’ — just to get more clicks. I’m fine, I’m recovering, I’m not broken.

“I’m disappointed that I cut my trip to the US short, but I loved the time I spent on court.

“And finally, even though I lost, I’m not ready to give up. There’s always another game coming.”

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