Two players and a coach walk into a restaurant. No, this is not the start of a bad joke. Rather that of a good time, where tennis players discussed without hiding. By revealing much more than during press conferences with less relaxed executives, or interviews with journalists with whom they are much less intimate.
At a diner-talk organized by the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, Gaël Monfils, in the company of Benoît Paire and Patrick Mouratoglou, gave himself up. Especially on the famous question: “Why have you never won a Grand Slam title?”
“Because the guys (Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray) were stronger than me,” he replied. “People always tell you, ‘Potentially, you could have done that.’ With ifs, ifs, ifs in every sentence. But we take a potential of something that doesn’t exist, because we don’t know you.
“Sometimes people are a bit aggressive with me saying: ‘You could have won a Grand Slam title with the physique you have, you’re a wanker…’. I say: ‘OK, so you think that just because I have a big physique, that makes me a great player who should have won a Grand Slam title? But you don’t see how I worked my backhand, my volley…”
They (the Big 4 members) are mentally stronger than me.
Gael Monfils
“I didn’t know how to volleyball,” he continued. “I’ve evolved a lot on a lot of aspects of pure tennis, but I’m still less strong than these guys, who also pushed me to become better. And already in the young categories, they were stronger than me. Novak, I lost against him 7-5 in the third round at La Baule (in the final of an international tournament for 15/16 year olds, in 2002) when he was a year younger, for example.
A history of deficit against players like Nadal, born like him in 1986, Djokovic and Murray, of the 1987 generation, which caused long-term damage? “Do you think you never won a Grand Slam title because you’re weaker than them, or guys are stronger because you thought too early that you were weaker than them?”, asked the French coach.
“Inside, I think they are stronger for two reasons”, replied “la Monf’”, who also returned, during the discussions, to the cases of Stan Wawrinka, Marin Čilić and Juan Martín del potro, crowned in Major despite the reign of the four-headed monster. “Already, because they are mentally stronger than me. It’s not that they don’t ‘wet’, it happens to them too (but they handle it better). And I think they are stronger mentally, because they are stronger physically.”
“Tomorrow you make me play five sets against Rafa, he will have this management so as not to get burned and manage himself better,” he explained. “I know my limit, and the pace he imposes is super high. I can hold out for one game, but even if I win, after that I’m not sure I can hold out against Roger or Novak in the following rounds. I think that was a big hurdle.”
You would have told my father, who earned 20 francs an hour, that I would become top 10, he would have laughed.
Gael Monfils
And despite the work, the native of Paris has never been able to catch up with them on this level. Because they too have never stopped developing their qualities. “Intrinsically, on some things, you always stay stronger than others,” argued Monfils. “I will always stay stronger than some – without naming names (laughs) – and they (the Big 4) will always stay stronger than me. They tell me that I lower myself, but no, I am realistic.
An answer that inspired a new question to Patrick Mouratoglou: “Is it this thought that prevented you from doing better against them?” “Attention, nuance”, replied the former 6th in the world. “When I step onto the court I have no doubts about my ability to beat them, I’m going there to win. And, aside from Novak, I’ve beaten them on occasion. But I make this observation which is obvious: they have won lots of Grand Slam titles, me none.
But, at 37, after nearly two decades on the main circuit, 11 titles, two Grand Slam semi-finals, many weeks in the top 10 and two full seasons in this elite, Gaël Monfils can be proud of his career. It does not matter when the fall of his history in tennis will come, which was not a joke contrary to the words of the “experts” of social networks.
“Of course I will be happy with my career at the end,” he replied to Benoît Paire. “I learned to play tennis at La Courneuve. You would have told my father, who earned 20 francs an hour, that I would become top 10, he would have laughed.
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2023-09-06 14:10:28
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