Monfils became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour singles title | Tennis news

At the age of 38, Gael Monfils became the oldest ATP champion by defeating Zizou Bergs in New Zealand.

French veteran Gael Monfils defeated Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 in Auckland to become the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title.

Monfils won his 13th tour title 20 years and 38 years and 132 days after his first tour. He took the final tour title of his career from Roger Federer, who was 38 years, 74 days old when he won the Swiss indoor title in Basel in 2019.

Monfils is currently ranked 52nd and is the oldest player in the top 100 in ATP Tour history.

Pancho Gonzalez was 44 years, 7 months and 4 days old when he became the lone champion in Kingston, Jamaica in 1972, before the formation of the ATP Tour in 1990.

The Auckland final was postponed on Saturday due to a medical emergency in the crowd, but Monfils showed the same mix of aggression and dogged defense to claim his first title since the 2023 Stockholm Open.

Ahead of the Auckland tournament, Monfils spoke about his love of tennis keeping him going.

“I love tennis. I love what I do, of course all the sacrifices you make make it a little easier. “When you love something, it’s easier to keep pushing it,” he said.

“I enjoyed the first day I played tennis and (at the age of 60) I will still enjoy it. Experiment, it’s easy. It’s in your DNA. Stay fit, it’s easy. It’s more of a journey.”

After receiving the Auckland trophy, Monfils headed straight to the airport for his flight to Melbourne, where he will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. Australian Open.