Gael Monfils is perhaps one of the most talented athletes on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman showcases speed, athleticism and power in various aspects of his game. Yet he is constantly overlooked when it comes to being considered a serious contender for a Grand Slam title. But perhaps that is about to change.
The 33-year old has obtained a nine match-winning streak that culminated with him recently lifting the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament trophy for the second time. After emerging victorious in 2019, Monfils successfully defended his title for the first time in his impressive career.
He accomplished this feat without dropping a set, cruising past in-form Canadian superstar Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4 in the final.
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Additionally, the Frenchman has not dropped a set since his opening round match against compatriot Adrian Mannarino at the 2020 Open Sud de France two weeks ago, an event he eventually won for the third time (2010, 2014, and 2020).
After becoming the second three-time champion in the tournament’s history (Richard Gasquet in 2013, 2015, 2016), Monfils went on to claim the title at Rotterdam, winning multiple titles in the same season for the first time in his career.
As the season is barely two months in, the World No.9 has set some attainable goals for himself; with his primary objective being to surpass his previous career-high ranking of No.6, a feat he achieved in November of 2016.
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Furthermore, Monfils also has aspirations of securing more silverware for his trophy cabinet, with a Masters 1000 title in his sights.
The charismatic Frenchman has reached an ATP Masters 1000 final on three occasions, finishing as runner-up each time. His most recent run was at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets. His other two forays to Masters 1000 finals were at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010, where he lost to Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling respectively.
Although the Frenchman put up a valiant effort each time, even defeating Roger Federer en route to the final in 2010, he has not been able to lift the title. This could be because each opponent he has faced in the final was in incredible form at that point in time, and would probably not have lost to anyone on that day.
However, his ultimate goal would be to win his first Grand Slam trophy. With his best results being semi-final appearances at the French Open (2008) and the US Open (2016), the Paris native revealed that his dream this season was to win a Grand Slam.
Employing a baseline game that relies on his speed and athleticism, Monfils has always been accused of being too passive. His reluctance to attack has often led to him being unable to dictate play, which eventually leads to him scrambling and being defensive. However, the Frenchman has finally implemented a more aggressive mindset to his game, displaying more confidence in his volleys and the results are evident.
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His recent form has shown that he has what it takes to be a serious title contender this season. With his only losses thus far coming at the hands of Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic at the inaugural ATP Cup, and finalist Dominic Thiem in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Monfils has amassed a 13-2 record this season.
Despite leading the ATP Tour in titles won this season with two trophies, Monfils realizes the season is tedious and he will have to work harder than he ever has to entertain the thought of lifting his maiden Grand Slam trophy this year.
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