Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Tuesday, May 03, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.
Novak Djokovic faces Gaël Monfils for his entry into the Masters 1000 in Madrid on Tuesday afternoon. It usually goes very well for the Serb against the French…
Banned from playing in Australia and the United States because he refuses to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Novak Djokovic was unable to take part in the Australian Open as well as the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, the three biggest early season tournaments. The world number 1, dislodged from the world throne for three weeks by Daniil Medvedev, has therefore only played three events so far in early May. Beaten in the quarter-finals by Jiri Vesely in Dubai then left to enter the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the Serb went to the final in Belgrade where he suffered the law of Andrey Rublev (6- 2, 6-7, 6-0).
19-1 for Djokovic against the French on clay
Djokovic continues his funny season and his preparation on clay this week on the grounds of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. The boss of the little yellow ball will enter the fray on Tuesday afternoon against Gaël Monfils, winner on Monday. An appointment to which he can move forward with confidence. Because “Djoko” has a big numerical advantage against the French. In 115 games played on the main circuit on all surfaces, the Serbian player lost only 17 times against a tricolor representative.
The statistics are even more telling on clay since Novak Djokovic has lost only once in 20 matches on ochre. Can you find out who it was against? Not obvious, frankly… Come on, we give you the answer! It was against… Anthony Dupuis, then 114th player in the world in Valence in 2005 in the first round. Coming from the qualifications, Djokovic, ranked 160th, had dropped the flag (6-4, 7-5). Since this setback, the Serb remains on 19 successes in a row. The task of Gaël Monfils therefore promises to be very complicated. The Frenchman has also never beaten the world number 1 in 17 past confrontations. But beware, “La Monf” has already offered a number 1 this year. The current 21st player in the ATP ranking had ejected Daniil Medvedev in the 3rd round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-1).
Five French fellers of a No. 1 on clay
Note that five Frenchmen managed to beat a world number 1 on clay: Christophe Roger-Vasselin against Jimmy Connors in the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros in 1983 (6-4, 6-4, 7-6), Henri Leconte against Ivan Lendl in the quarters at Forest Hills in 1983 (6-2, 6-3), Yannick Noah against, again, Lendl (6-3, 7-5) in the semi-finals at Forest Hills in 1986, Arnaud Di Pasquale (6 -3, 6-1 at the expense of Marat Safin in 2001 in the 1st round of Monte-Carlo) and Richard Gasquet, memorable scorer of Roger Federer in the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo in 2005 (6-7, 6-2, 7 -6).
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