AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Gael Monfils has secured his spot in the final of the men’s elite tennis tour, marking him as the second oldest player since 1990 to achieve this feat. At 38 years and 131 days, Monfils triumphed over American Nishesh Basavareddy with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the semifinals held in Auckland on Friday.
The record for the oldest player to reach a final belongs to Ivo Karlovic, who was 39 years and 311 days old when he accomplished this in Pune, India, back in 2019. Monfils surpassed Stan Wawrinka, who was 38 years and 124 days when he made it to the final in Umag, Croatia in 2023.
In addition to Karlovic, there are other notable players who have reached finals at advanced ages, including Karlovic again at Den Bosch in 2017 (38 years, 110 days), Roger Federer at Basel in 2019 (38 years, 80 days), and Rafael Nadal during the 2024 Swedish Open (38 years, 48 days), rounding out the list of top five contenders.
French tennis player Monfils has made an impressive run in Auckland, marking his 35th ATP Tour final appearance. By defeating Jan-Lennard Struff to advance to the quarterfinals, he made history as the oldest player in the professional era to reach the quarterfinal stage in Auckland.
He further solidified his legacy by becoming the oldest semifinalist in the event’s history after overcoming Facundo Diaz Acosta with a result of 6-3, 6-1, thereby reaching his 73rd ATP Tour semifinal—only Novak Djokovic can claim more appearances than him in this category.
Monfils is set to compete against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in the final scheduled for Saturday. After his semifinal match, Monfils expressed his resilience: “Everybody knows I’m a warrior on the court, I don’t give up easy,” he remarked. He reflected on the match, stating, “I’m very pleased with the way I got through today, it wasn’t easy.”
“I love defense and I feel like from day one if you ask anyone who knows me and tennis really well they will never tell you I’m an offensive player. I’m good in defense. It’s the way I’ve been blessed by the one upstairs,” he added, sharing insight into his playing style.
On the other side of the court, 19-year-old Basavareddy has been making headlines during the tournament. He stands out as the youngest American since Reilly Opelka to reach an ATP Tour semifinal on hard courts, achieving this at the tender age of 18 in Atlanta back in 2016.
Having turned professional in December following a remarkable 2024 season on the ATP Challenger Tour, Basavareddy is set for a challenging start at the Australian Open. He has been granted a wild-card entry and will face 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the first round.
