2023-10-25 17:15:15
Even at 37, Gael Monfils is not yet a thing of the past. The charismatic Frenchman recently won an ATP tournament in Stockholm for the first time since January 2022. On Wednesday he also won the first round of the Erste Bank Open ahead of his ex-coach and friend Günter Bresnik. He safely progressed against the German Daniel Altmaier with 6:4,6:4. The ten-year-younger favorite Daniil Medvedev (RUS-1) achieved the same thing with a 6:4,6:2 over Arthur Fils (FRA).
Monfils will now face number 7 seeded American Frances Tiafoe in a duel between two crowd favorites in the round of 16 (2nd match after 5:30 p.m.) on Thursday. It is also the meeting of two former Vienna finalists – Monfils achieved this in 2008, Tiafoe two years ago. The latter is of course the favorite as number 14 in the world.
The favorite of the tournament, however, is Daniil Medvedev. The top-seeded Russian, who wants to successfully defend his title in Vienna, had little trouble with the 19-year-old Antwerp finalist Arthur Fils (FRA) at 6:4.6:2. “It was a good match against a strong opponent. He reached the final last week, I expected a tough match,” said Medvedev on the court, before willingly answering the many requests for autographs.
“I like this tournament. It’s always nice to return to a tournament you like. Usually it’s true that a title helps you when you come back,” Medvedev said in the press conference. However, he also really likes the city of Vienna. “It almost feels a bit like home here.”
Last year, Medvedev won a tournament for the first time as a father, and this year will also be a premiere. When asked by the APA, he immediately answered whether he knew what that meant. “Yes, yes. The first successful defense of the title. I’ll try, I want to do it somewhere. I don’t care where.” So far, the Russian has won 20 titles, five of them this year alone.
While Medvedev, at 27, still has many years ahead of him on the circuit, the deadline for Monfils, who is ten years older, probably runs out earlier. However, Monfils has returned to the top 100 for the first time after Stockholm, and the trend continues to rise. “Last year, before my injury, I was number 15 in the world and played great tennis and also beat number 1 in the world,” recalled Monfils, when asked whether he had surprised himself with his umpteenth spring.
Günter Bresnik was back in the box with Monfils, among others, but is not his trainer again. “(Mikael) Tillström took on the role of coach, and did it very well, as you can see. But we had dinner with my wife and his wife and we talk on the phone very regularly. There is hardly a match since we don’t talk to each other on the phone or via Whatsapp ,” Bresnik revealed in the ServusTV interview.
He himself is surprised by his ex-protégé’s recent boom. “I welcomed him in Vienna with the words that I no longer thought it was possible for him to win another tournament.” For him, Monfils is currently playing tennis “almost like he was in his prime.”
Monfils commented on Bresnik’s role later in the press conference. “It was great with Günter. Apart from everything related to tennis, he is a great personality. He is also a mentor for me,” said the Frenchman with Caribbean roots. “He made me aware of so many things that helped me in my game. He definitely also helped me serve better. When I started working with Günter, my serve collapsed,” Monfils recalled.
In any case, even at 37, there is no end to my career in sight. “I will try to keep my body healthy and get to where I believe I belong,” promised Monfils.
The first quarter-finalist this year is the Russian Karen Khachanow, who gave the Czech Jiri Lehecka no chance at 6:3,6:1.
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