Boris Becker touched by Ben Shelton & Gael Monfils exchanging heartwarming moment at Australian Open after French veteran's retirement

Boris Becker was recently moved by the display of sportsmanship between Ben Shelton and Gael Monfils during their 2025 Australian Open clash. The Frenchman retired mid-match due to an injury, and this was the first-ever meeting between the two on the ATP Tour.

On Monday (Jan. 20), at Margaret Court Arena, Shelton and Monfils were two hours and 56 minutes into their fourth-round match when the 38-year-old retired due to a back injury. The match ended with the score at 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0 in favour of the American. Monfils, the oldest player in this year’s Australian Open, became the second-oldest man to reach the fourth round since Roger Federer reached the semifinals at 38 years and five months in 2020.

After the match, six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker shared a post by the Australian Open on X, highlighting the moment Monfils retired. The clip showed Ben Shelton encouraging the crowd to cheer for Monfils as the Frenchman approached the net with a smile despite his injury. Both players placed their rackets on the court, exchanged words and shared a heartfelt hug, earning widespread admiration for their camaraderie.

After the match, Shelton spoke to the press on court, saying that he had looked up to Monfils since childhood and called his highlights unmatched. He admired Monfils' effort at 38, joking that he just hoped to walk without crutches at that age. He said:

“Gael is someone I have watched since a little kid, I always say he has the greatest highlight tape of all time, and you saw some of that tonight. At 38 years old, I hope I am still walking without crutches… To push me the way he did today and entertain everyone in New Zealand and Australia in the way he has the last couple of weeks is so impressive.

“I hope to be able to create some memories like that with my family watching on at that age, because it's really special and unheard of in any other sport.”

Monfils was on an eight-match winning streak before facing Shelton. He won the Brisbane International by defeating Zizou Bergs in the final earlier in January.

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Ben Shelton will face Lorenzo Sonego in the second Australian Open quarterfinal of his career

Ben Shelton at the 2025 Australian Open - Source: Getty

After Gael Monfils retired during their 2025 Australian Open fourth-round clash on Monday, Ben Shelton advanced to face Lorenzo Sonego in what will be the second Australian Open quarterfinal of his career.

The American reached his first quarterfinal at the tournament in 2023 during his debut, where he was defeated by compatriot Tommy Paul.

Shelton began his 2025 campaign with victories over Brandon Nakashima and Pablo Carreño Busta in the first and second rounds. In the third round, he got the better of Lorenzo Musetti before facing Monfils.

For Sonego, this is the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career. The 29-year-old started his Australian Open run with a win over former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the first round. He followed it up with victories against João Fonseca in the second round and Fábián Marozsán in the third round. Sonego then defeated Learner Tien in the fourth round to set up a clash with Shelton.

Shelton and Sonego have faced each other twice on the ATP Tour, with their head-to-head record currently tied at 1-1.