West Indian Gael Monfils, 20th in the world, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday. He defeated the Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (77th) 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. A victory in pain.
He is tried, but he has won. West Indian tennis player Gaël Monfils has just qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, after winning the match he played this Sunday against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. “It was really very hard… He played very fast on both sides. I tried to be very aggressive and it was just a long fight. Thanks to the support of the public, I won“, commented the 35-year-old Frenchman, before leaving the white-hot John Cain court with groups of very committed French and Serbian supporters.
A tough game
“It was not easy”, he then developed at the microphone of Eurosport. “At the start of the match it was a little warmer but after that it was humid. I tried every time to be behind the ball so, physically, I took a hit. But, matches like that, I can play four hours.”
There was a lot of work, a lot of perseverance (…) a lot of discussions and above all a lot of hours in the field.
Monfils remained on an elimination in the 1st round in 2021 which had plunged him into disarray. “There was a big pandemic, it hurt me as a player, as a human3, he said on Sunday. “And that put a big brake on my career. Afterwards, (there was) a lot of work, a lot of perseverance, a lot of trust in my family, in my friends, in my team, my wife (Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, editor’s note) now. A lot of discussions and above all a lot of hours in the field, a lot of questioning with the team.” “So far it’s working for me and I’m very happy with it.”
He wants to “try to recover”
The French No.1, who had already reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne (2016) without ever surpassing them, will face Spain’s Pablo Carreno (21st) or Italy’s Matteo Berrettini (7th) on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals.
GO ! @Gael_Monfils qualifies for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, beating Kecmanovic in 3 sets.
????????????#AusOpen #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/ijitL6POmR
— FFT (@FFTennis) January 23, 2022
Before that, he wants “try to recover, because I drew anyway“. “It’s been a long road (since 2016). I’m happy but it’s not over. I’m not going to play this quarter like the previous one, I’m going to try to win it” in order “to try to go for the first time in the semi-finals here”, he assured.
Whether the next opponent is Berrettini or Carreno, it will be “a big fight”, estimated Monfils, recalling that the Italian had beaten him twice in two games, notably in the quarter-finals of the US Open 2019 “7-6 in the fifth set!” Their last opposition dates no later than the ATP Cup which opened the 2022 season