Telling himself "it's okay to lose" to Gael Monfils, Dane Sweeny closes showman's AO chapter

Dane Sweeny downplayed self-expectations heading into his first-round match at the Australian Open, after earning himself a place in the 128-player field the hard way.

“My mind was, in a way, saying It's okay to lose. You're playing Gael Monfils. You've already qualified.”

The 24-year-old found a way to reverse that mindset by Tuesday evening, rising to the occasion to notch the first major match win of his career. Feeding off the energy inside Kia Arena, Sweeny battled his way to a 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 victory.

The Aussie was still processing the whole experience when he spoke with press.

“Disbelief. Euphoria,” he laughed. “A lot of just I don't know what's going on. Almost felt like I was watching a show because it was pretty incredible moment. Still sinking in.

“To not only win the first round of a Grand Slam, but to do it at the Australian Open, to do it in front of such an amazing atmosphere, to beat a legend of the game, Gael Monfils, it was a bit of a pinch-myself moment.”

My mind was, in a way, saying It's okay to lose. You're playing Gael Monfils. You've already qualified. Dane Sweeny

The near four-hour effort, in turn, saw Monfils say goodbye to fans Down Under in his final appearance at Melbourne Park.

Playing his farewell season in 2026, the 39-year-old made his first splash at the Happy Slam in 2004 when he began a run of capturing three consecutive junior major titles. Monfils then competed in 20 main draws, finishing with 37 wins, a pair of quarterfinals and a lot of gratitude.

“Somehow it is the finish line, but, whew, thank you so much for this amazing ride. You guys have been unbelievable,” the Frenchman said in a brief on-court speech.

As Monfils moves forward to support wife Elina Svitolina’s bid to make a deep run, Sweeny is set to spar a Top 10 opponent for the first time. The world No. 182, who dipped to 680 in the rankings last February. faces seventh-ranked Ben Shelton.

“Again, I'm very excited at the opportunity to play a big dog like him. I was really hoping first round I would play Sinner or Alcaraz,” declared Sweeny. “Shelton, it's a good consolation prize playing him second round.”

The American, defending semifinalist points, defeated Ugo Humbert with a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win in a meeting of left-handers.