Elina Svitolina, Stan Wawrinka and other tennis players congratulate Gael Monfils on Stockholm Open triumph
Gael Monfils won his first title of the 2023 season at the Stockholm Open by defeating Pavel Kotov in the final.
The Frenchman entered the ATP 250 event by using a protected ranking and reached the final following wins over Marton Fucsovics, Filip Misolic, second seed Adrian Mannarino and Laslo Djere.
Here, he faced Kotov and came back from a set down to beat him 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 to win the 12th singles title of his career. The Frenchman thus became the oldest champion in the history of the Stockholm Open. He also became the oldest tour-level champion in ATP history since Roger Federer's triumph at the 2019 Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Monfils shared a picture of himself with the trophy on Instagram and many congratulated him on his win. The 37-year-old's wife Elina Svitolina commented: "Magical", while his compatriot Caroline Garcia claimed that she was happy for him.
"So happy for you! Brotherrrrrrrrrrr," Garcia commented in French.
Others who congratulated Monfils on his triumph included Stan Wawrinka, Denis Shapovalov, Richard Gasquet, Donna Vekic, Benoit Paire, Thiago Monteiro, Tallon Griekspoor and Dennis Novak.
Monfils hailed Kotov after winning the tournament and claimed that the Russian was pushing him on the court. The Frenchman added that he kept believing in himself and fighting.
"Credit to Pavel," Monfils said. "He has had an unbelivable week and he was pushing me on the court. I ran a lot today. When I had to save break points in the second set, I tried to push through. I don't know how I pulled up but I kept believing and fighting."
Gael Monfils returns to top 100 of the ATP rankings
Gael Monfils' performance in Stockholm saw him return to the top 100 of the ATP rankings. The Frenchman is now ranked 89th in the world, rising 51 places from 140.
Monfils will next compete at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna by using protected ranking and will take on Daniel Altmaier in the opening round. The two will lock horns for the very first time and the winner of the match will face either seventh seed Frances Tiafoe or Dan Evans in the Round of 16 at the ATP 500 event.
Monfils' triumph in Stockholm sees his win-loss record for the 2023 season at 14-10.