Paris Olympics 2024 Tennis: Gael Monfils comes in as a replacement for France; set to play against Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji in men’s doubles

In a last-minute change in the Paris Olympics 2024 men’s doubles tennis event, Gael Monfils has been brought in as a replacement for Fabien Reboul in the French team. Monfils is set to join Edouard Roger-Vasselin to face the Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji on Saturday, July 27, at Stade Roland Garros.

Originally, Fabien Reboul was slated to partner with Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the men’s doubles. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Reboul has withdrawn from the event. This could prove to be a major setback for the hosts as the pair was looking in fine form recently.

This change comes after Reboul and Roger-Vasselin recently finished as runners-up at the Hamburg Open, an ATP 500 event in Germany. In the same tournament, Bopanna and Balaji were eliminated in the Round of 16 by the German duo of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner.

The last-minute switch for France could tilt the odds in favor of the Indian pair, who will look to exploit any lack of cohesion between Monfils and Roger-Vasselin.

Who is Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji’s new opponent Gael Monfils?

Gael Monfils, primarily a men's singles player, is currently ranked World No. 30 in the ATP rankings.

Although this will be a challenging transition for Monfils, he has some doubles experience, having reached the Round of 16 in men’s doubles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with his partner Jérémy Chardy. Meanwhile, this will be the debut Olympic appearance for Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The unexpected replacement provides a potential advantage for Bopanna and Balaji, who now have a chance to capitalize on this development. With Bopanna ranked World No. 4 in men’s doubles, he is expected to use his experience alongside Sriram Balaji to put pressure on the French pair.