Gael Monfils receives "lack of effort" warning during straight-sets win over Alexander Bublik at Citi Open
Gael Monfils faced Alexander Bublik in the Round of 32 at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington on Thursday. The Frenchman easily defeated the World No. 25 from Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4.
Monfils has returned to the tour after recovering from a foot injury sustained in October 2022. His recent triumphs at Citi Open have given his fans hope that he is getting back to his best.
Notably, the Frenchman's second-round victory against Bublik is only the fourth win he has secured this season.
While Gael Monfils cruised to an easy victory against the Kazakh, the highlight of the match was a moment when he received an official warning for displaying a "lack of effort" towards the end. Bublik opponent found the warning hilarious, and most of the crowd booed the Frenchman for it.
Alexander Bublik held a 40-0 lead in his service game during the second set, serving to make the match 5-4. Gael Monfils seemed to have made up his mind that it wasn't worth exerting energy to come back in that game, especially when he would have the upper hand in the next game anyway.
Monfils didn't wait for the 26-year-old to win the final point before strolling back to his bench. This move prompted the umpire to issue the 36-year-old with the warning.
Monfils then tried to have a discussion with the umpire, but the decision remained unchanged.
Check out the video here:
Gael Monfils received a warning for a lack of effort when leading against Alexander Bublik.
He went on to win in straight sets 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/BHz5mRGJdg
Gael Monfils' wife Elina Svitolina reveals why their daughter Skai is not attending the Citi Open 2023
Elina Svitolina, Gael Monfils' wife, is also in the middle of a strong run at the 2023 Citi Open, having defeated Victoria Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina to reach the quarterfinals.
During a press conference, the Ukrainian star revealed that their daughter Skai is not attending the tournament with them because her health is their top priority. Seeing as traveling for tennis requires a lot of physical effort, the duo did not want to put their daughter through that.
"No, she's at home. We want her to stay home for the health reasons. Health is No. 1 priority for us. It's really challenging," she said.
"We know how tiring it can be to travel that much. Tennis requires a lot of traveling, flying, and all this stress. You know, you're not sleeping in your bed, you are constantly, you know, doing something and different places. So we don't want to stress her right now at the beginning," she added.