Veteran Gael Monfils has rolled back the years in recent weeks with a string of incredible performances, but the Frenchman said he had exceeded his limit after retiring hurt from his fourth-round Australian Open match against Ben Shelton on Monday.

Monfils was struggling with a back injury at the start of the fourth set as Ben Shelton advanced to the quarter-finals

Ben Shelton (No. 20) will meet Gael Monfils (No. 41) in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open on Sunday, January 19.Monfils enters the Round of 16 after his four-set win on Friday over Taylor

French veteran Gaël Monfils rolled back the years to stun the USA’s No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday, winning 3-6 7-5 7-6(1) 6-4 after three hours and eight minutes of scintillating tennis.

Ben Shelton has shared what Gael Monfils is really like after their Australian Open fourth-round clash. The 38-year-old Frenchman was forced to retire from their match on Monday while trailing by two sets to one. Afterwards, Shelton opened up on a private chat he shared with the former world No. 6.

The 19th-seeded Shelton looks to match his best major showing, a semifinal at the 2023 US Open. Earlier that year, Shelton advanced to the last eight Down Under on his first international trip. Fellow unseeded American, Tommy Paul, ultimately ended that run.

After his historic win, Monfils returned to Margaret Court Arena and sat in the stands to watch his wife, Svitolina, eliminate the women's No. 4 seed, two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 at night.

At the same time, it is worth noting that – with this retirement – Monfils has become the player with the most retirements and walkovers in Open Era together with German Tommy Haas. Both are 33, ahead of Nikolay Davydenko and Philipp Kohlschreiber in this particular ranking.

Gael Monfils rallied from a set down to claim a thrilling 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over American Taylor Fritz in a third-round match at the Australian Open.

Here is everything you need to know about Taylor Fritz vs. Gael Monfils, including TV and streaming options for the match.

There are few players in men’s tennis as thrilling to watch than France’s Gael Monfils. On Saturday in Australia, and late Friday night for those watching stateside, Monfils put on an absolute masterpiece of a performance against No.