Watch: Coco Gauff's father congratulates Gael Monfils on becoming a father as Frenchman begins comeback journey
Coco Gauff's father Corey recently met Gael Monfils at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, ahead of the start of the Masters tournament. Corey took that opportunity to congratulate Monfils on becoming a father.
Monfils last played at the 2022 Canadian Open; a foot injury has kept him out of action since then. The Frenchman would now be hoping to make a strong comeback at Indian Wells.
During the recovery period, Monfils exerienced a major life change as he became a father. The former World No. 6 and his wife, WTA player Elina Svitolina, welcomed their first child, Skai Monfils, on October 15, 2022.
On Monday, Monfils was signing autographs for fans after his practice session when Corey Gauff incidentally crossed paths with him. They instantly hugged each other and conversed for a short time.
In the video put out on social media, Gauff's father could be seen congratulating Monfils on the birth of his four-month-old daughter.
"Papa Gauff congratulates @Gael_Monfils on becoming a Papa Bear," Tennis Channel wrote in their tweet, sharing the video.
Papa Gauff congratulates @Gael_Monfils on becoming a Papa Bear 😄
#TennisParadise https://t.co/bpPqmQbe1K
On Tuesday, Monfils will face Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters. Monfils took part in the tournament last year too, but endured a third-round exit to Carlos Alcaraz.
While there have been several setbacks for the Frenchman since then, he will be keen to produce a better result this time around.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff will enter the tournament as the sixth-seed on the WTA tour. Her opponent in the Round of 32 is yet to be decided.
Gael Monfils opted to skip Australian Open 2023 to become eligible for protected ranking
Ahead of the 2023 Australian Open, Gael Monfils revealed that he had opted not to take part in the tournament in order to become eligible for a protected ranking.
As per the ATP guidelines, a player raising a petition for a protected ranking should have endured a physical injury and not competed in any tournament for a minimum period of six months.
At the start of the Australian Open, Monfils had only spent four months without playing on tour. Hence, it was a conscious decision by the 36-year-old to skip the first Grand Slam of the season.
“I think that you know, there is the protected ranking, when you don’t play for a certain amount of months. I know that if I take it, I have to not play the Australian Open to reach the six months needed and that will be my decision," the Frenchman had told Eurosport.
Gael Monfils is currently ranked No. 210 in the ATP. It will be interesting to see whether he can make good use of the protected ranking and climb up the ladder with some strong results.