When Gael Monfils reached the final of the ATP tournament in Stockholm with a two-set win (7:5, 6:2) against Laslo Djere, the Frenchman reached a milestone in his career.
This is the 19th season in a row that the 37-year-old has appeared in at least one ATP Tour final. Only three players had previously achieved this mark. The current number 140 in the ATP world rankings has now drawn level with Jimmy Connors, whose series lasted from 1971 to 1989, and Rafael Nadal (2004 to 2022). Only Roger Federer still reigns supreme over this trio. The Swiss holds the record with 20 consecutive seasons with at least one final appearance.
Being mentioned in the same breath as these big names makes Monfils proud. “The word that comes to mind is consistency, that’s cool,” he commented on this success.
However, he didn’t really want to compare himself with these tennis legends. “You probably won a tournament every year and not just made it to the finals like me,” he said with a wink. This assumption applies to Nadal, Connors missed a final victory in four years of his series, Feder has not won a tournament in two years.
Regardless, Monfils is very happy about this milestone. “Nineteen isn’t easy, is it? I’m very glad I did it.”
The final will be against Pawel Kotow on Sunday. If Monfils wins against the Russian, it would be the twelfth tournament victory of his career. As a reward, the Geneva-born Frenchman would jump back into the top 100.
2023-10-21 21:45:09
#ATP #Monfils #Nadal #Federer
