Monfils and the UTS experience that fits him like a glove: “It’s a perfect blend of intense tennis and spectacle”.
The Frenchman put on a show against Andrey “Rublo” Rublev in the final match of the day in Frankfurt in front of a passionate home crowd.
Tennis Majors/UTS
When it comes to putting on a show and winning over the crowd, Gaël Monfils is one of the best players in the world. Without question. On Saturday, despite a third defeat in three matches against Andrey Rublev at the UTS in Frankfurt, the Frenchman thrilled the German fans gathered at the Süwag Energie Arena.
Dancing, exceptional shots, special moments with the public and his opponent, in short, ‘La Monf‘ did it all. He is by far the best advertisement for the UTS. For the time being, the Rublo-La Monf match stands as the best match of the German event, ahead of the Final Four on Sunday.
After the match, the 37-year-old Frenchman confirmed just how comfortable he feels in this type of format: “It’s the format we like, difficult matches with a high level of tennis. I think he played very well. I’m playing well. I try to do my best, but he hit incredibly.”
Monfils then went on to discuss the aspect that is so unique to the UTS: “This touch of fun to make a show, in a way, people can enjoy, say 20 seconds of dancing in the show. But then they have more than 3/4 minutes of intense tennis. And today it was the perfect mix. There were lots of winning shots and we laughed. In the end, I was happy because it was great tennis.”
A COMPLICATED FIRST DAY DESPITE EVERYTHING
Before showing a much better performance against Andrey Rublev, the Parisian had a tough time on Saturday against Diego ‘El Peque’ Schwartzman and Christopher ‘The Rocket’ Eubanks. According to the player himself, the main reason was the time it took to adapt.
“It was difficult yesterday. I had a very bad day yesterday. You know, it happens, you know, I come back and I didn’t have much time to train, to, to adapt. I was a bit sad that the first two matches were back-to-back because I was flat. I don’t think I had the same energy as today,” lamented the Frenchman, who was eliminated in the second round of the US Open by… Rublev.
Monfils will now move on to the Laver Cup (September 22-24) and the indoor season on the ATP Tour. He is part of Team Europe alongside Hubert Hurkacz, Rublev, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas. If there was any doubt about the tournaments on his programme, the Frenchman has confirmed that he will be in Stockholm, Vienna and Paris for the Rolex Paris Masters.
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