For most of the late 2010s, men's tennis was an old man's game. The powerful trio of Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal held on long past the point even the most optimistic fans thought they would.

Gael Monfils became the oldest singles champion in ATP Tour history when the 39-year-old Frenchman swept to victory in the final of the Auckland Classic on Saturday.

Ivo Karlovic holds the ATP Tour record, having won through to final in Pune, India in 2019 at the age of 39 years, 311 days. Monfils edges Stan Wawrinka who was aged 38 years and 124 days when he reached the final at Umag, Croatia in 2023.