A Roland-Garros,
Present. 4 letters of an Anglicism which Gaël Monfils has made his character all through his profession. Races, jumps, generally dives and a plethora of “hotshots” over three many years have cast the spectacular legacy that the Frenchman will attempt to honor towards Hugo Gaston when he enters the fray in his final Roland-Garros. Which he already honored, let’s be exact, final Thursday on the occasion of his Gaël & Friends evening, hosted by Paul de Saint-Sernin and Matt Pokora, round a combined mini-tournament. So Gaël. “He loves the brief sport, it have to be a part of his work coaching content material in any other case he will get uninterested in it,” smiles his former coach Eric Winogradsky.
For the love of lovely tennis, Monfils has achieved the feat of relegating his major high quality, protection, to the background, to place it on the service of the spectacle. A paradox that’s each the supply of its success and the glass ceiling beneath the summits in keeping with a idea by Gilles Simon in Stage 2.
« He is a participant who took a very long time to get to know himself as a result of we did not assist him get to know himself. As a result of nobody has ever wished to simply accept that in his nature, he’s a defender. That’s to say, if his life relies on it, he places the ball within the subject and he runs. And in an essential second, if we ask her to hit, she’s not going to hit the ball, as a result of it isn’t him. He has achieved nice issues, however while you get to the highest and play towards gamers who’re lined up, that makes the distinction. »
“It will have been a disgrace to not attempt to transfer ahead”
If there was a mistake, it’s as a result of Gaël had sufficient offensive expertise to persuade his coaches that he may very well be greater than this defender with limitless floor protection to the purpose of disgusting David Ferrer in his personal subject, to grab a semi-final qualification at Roland-Garros in 2008. “Like most gamers who’re fortunate sufficient to have an distinctive physique and an excellent hand, it will have been a disgrace to not see him at the least attempt to transfer ahead,” underlines Wino. His coach between 2015 and 2018 Mikael Tilstrom had a very reverse studying to that of Gilles Simon, as a result of he precisely put the Frenchman on the attack with the goal of “making him win a Grand Slam”.
For Olivier Delaitre, who had it in his fingers at Insep between the ages of 14 and 17 after which to assist out in 2013, it was completely the one strategy to face Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic – the one one which Monfils has by no means overwhelmed. “When he beats Federer at Bercy (in 2010), he goes for the factors and the match. In opposition to these gamers, it’s a must to go for the match and that is what he lacked a bit towards these gamers. Maybe he ought to have dared a bit extra towards these gamers. »
It will be a query of agreeing, too offensive or too defensive? Go for “not killer sufficient”. Delaître, once more: “within the Grand Slam towards the massive 4 he particularly lacked a bit freshness as a result of he left numerous power within the earlier rounds, in matches the place he may have shortened the match, the alternate, the video games a bit as a result of he stayed in his channel as a substitute of killing the match to avoid wasting himself. He had a blast on each floor, he made the present as a result of he had an unimaginable character. » Briefly, Gaël Monfils couldn’t do higher as a result of he was Gaël Monfils. It holds up. And principally it isn’t any worse.
A singular and intergenerational aesthetic heritage
Sure, we might have preferred to see to make certain. See a model of Gaël Monfils affected person sufficient to carry a backhand diagonal for 15 centuries if vital, clever sufficient to keep away from sending forehand sausages 5 meters from his line. See if it was sufficient to win a Grand Slam like Marin Cilic or Juan Martin Del Potro. And if the reply was no, too unhealthy, we might have stored our personal Gaël, the one who seduced generations of gamers for the aesthetics of his sport, the one which Elina Svitolina dares to name a “magician” in a letter to their daughter Skaï published in The Players Tribune.
« Your father, in a single shot, in a single second, he managed to do what few athletes succeed: to arouse an emotion, writes the Ukrainian participant. A bit like at a live performance, throughout an ideal track, or within the cinema, throughout an ideal line, and also you say to your self: ”Wow!” It is breathtaking. »
Eric Winogradsky thinks no much less. “We all the time knew that by going to see Gael in a match we have been inevitably going to witness unimaginable pictures, really feel completely different feelings than what most gamers can share. He’s all the time smiling, all the time respectful even when his opponent dominates him or makes a extra spectacular transfer than his and that’s the reason he’s revered by everybody. » “On the finish of the day,” concludes Delaitre, “it has extra of a optimistic affect than a unfavourable one.” You may go away a sporting legacy with out having gained every little thing. That of Gaël Monfils is measured in highlights and generations conquered, from his to that of Sinner through Osaka. It was value placing on the present.
