The 31-year-old former world number six slipped down the rankings last year as injuries struck and ended his year after the U.S. Open citing a right knee injury.
"I'm very happy," Monfils said. "I like this tournament so much. I always come back and I finally got it. So I'm just very happy and very proud.
"It's been a while. I was waiting for that moment to get back in shape. In 2016, I was almost on my top and I had a very good year, finishing at six. I couldn't really defend my chances in 2017. I had a long rest and came back strong in 2018."
Although it was a disappointing day for Rublev, the 20-year-old has sent out an early signal that he will be a force this year.
He more than matched Monfils for firepower but was frustrated by the Frenchman's defensive skills and despite defeat he is projected to rise to a career-high 32 in the rankings.
Monfils, who reached the final after top seed Dominic Thiem withdrew on Friday due to illness, made it a good day for Frenchmen in the build-up to the Australian Open after 33-year-old Gilles Simon also returned to form to beat Kevin Anderson and win the title in Pune.
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Writing by Martyn Herman,; Editing by Ed Osmond)
Share
