Gael Monfils is one of the most talented players on the ATP tour. The Frenchman is renowned for his athleticism and physical ability. Monfils has all the right attributes to be a great tennis player. His core body strength is very good with an ability to effortlessly strike the ball at tremendous pace. He also has a neat defensive game too and is well capable of delicate drop shots and backhand slices. He is also incredibly flexible and often shines on the slippery clay as a result. It is a delight to watch Monfils reach balls he has no right to get to. Granted, reaching things is a little easier because Monfils stands at 6’4.
So why is it then that such a big, strong, and physically able tennis player has failed to go all the way and really make a name for himself in the sport? It is definitely not due to a lack of ability. Many theories have been drawn up to explain why Monfils has not only failed to win a major but also fail to win any truly high profile tournaments. Monfils has 5 career titles to his name but none of them have been anything more prestigious than an ATP World Tour 250 event.
Once such theory for Monfils’s lack of success is his risky style of play. The flamboyant Frenchman is known to hit wild forehands that have often ended up in the grandstand. When such shots come off it looks spectacular but otherwise it is a questionable tactic. Even more questionable is his style on second serves. Without really even contemplating Monfils will often strike his second serves as if they were his first serve. This is a suicidal tactic to employ in tennis that results in mountains of double faults. At the 2013 Australian open Monfils managed to double fault an incredible 23 times in a match against Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan.
Theory number two suggests that Monfils is just too lazy. That certainly would explain his inconsistency. It does not add up that at this year’s Monte Carlo Masters, “La Monf” as his French fans call him, would blow away Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov only to be then humbled by Tomas Berdych in the semi-final. It is fairly evident Monfils does little to no homework on his opposition. Monfils was able to play a great game against Federer as he was more familiar with the Swiss man as an opponent. Monfils has played Federer 11 times but has only faced Berdych 6 times. It was clear Monfils was unsure of Berdych’s game and therefore struggled. A common analogy made by fans is that Monfils is like the lazy yet intelligent high school student. He could be amazing if he tried but instead only barely scrapes by.
The final theory is the more farfetched one. It’s true that Monfils is very entertaining to watch. This is not just because of his over the top tennis however. Monfils is known for his showsmanship and raw emotion on the court. The Frenchman often celebrates winning long rallies with victory dances or can be heard screaming “allez!” when clinching a vital game point. As a result Monfils can often fail to keep his emotions in check and is prone to some angry outbursts. Against Andy Murray in last year’s French Open semi-finals he failed to handle the pressure of the French crowd. In the fifth and final set Monfils seemed angry and upset and was demolished 6-0. This lack of self-control has caused many to question Monfils’s ability to ever win a major ATP tour event or Grand Slam
Overall Monfils is still an excellent talent. That will never change. But at 28 years of age “La Monf” is running out of time to finally realise his potential and prove all his doubters wrong. With the clay court season now in full swing we hurtle towards the French Open. Here Monfils will attempt to finally crack the code of big time tennis.
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