Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport 

French tennis star and world number 10 Gael Monfils has said that he has injured his hand “playing a video game” just two days before he is set to start his Australian Open campaign.

Monfils, whose ATP ranking is tenth with 2565 points, made the revelation on Sunday during a press conference.

He is set to play his first match at this year’s Australian Open on Tuesday against Taiwanese veteran Lu Yen-hsun in Melbourne.

During the press conference, Monfils said he had been “playing a video game in my room and I hit my right hand against the bedhead.”

The French tennis star added: “I have bone oedema in my right hand. The real treatment would be rest, but since I can’t, I am taking anti-inflammatory drugs and I put ice on it.”

Monfils, 33, also said: “But it is getting better, it’s quite positive actually even if some days after big sessions I have to take the next day off in order to recover. I still find it hard to come to the volley, I don’t volley too much.”

The injury reportedly occurred in December. Monfils nonetheless confirmed that he will be playing on Tuesday.

He added that his preparation had been “a bit truncated” because he “could not play as much as I wanted.” But he says he had managed to “catch up by playing a lot more these past few days so I feel pretty good.”

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