"He was the reason I fell in love with the game": Monfils' opponent Shevchenko left emotional after win at Arizona Tennis Classic

Gael Monfils received a warm tribute from Russian player Shevchenko who grew up a Monfils fan after falling in love with the sport because of him.

The youngster got to play Monfils at the Phoenix Challenger and he actually beat him in three sets which was a very emotional experience for him. Monfils is currently working his way from not playing for months and his struggles are somewhat expected. Shevchenko benefitted from that being able to win the match and they shared a warm embrace after the match.

He took to Instagram to explain how much it meant to him. Posting a photo of them, Shevchenko said:

"Such an emotional match for me, because he was the reason I felt in love with the game. @iamgaelmonfils good luck in Miami bro."