For his first quarter-final on the circuit since the Australian Open 2022, Gaël Monfils has long been on par with Jannick Sinner (21, 8th ATP), Friday evening, at the Masters 1000 in Toronto. Still performing well in service (19 aces), the 36-year-old Frenchman however suffered from the baseline against the power of the Italian (only 38% of points won on his second serve).
Arrived in Toronto without a lot of landmarks, the 276th in the world (which will climb to 208th place tomorrow) is now heading for Cincinnati (August 14-20), where a first round awaits him against Briton Cameron Norrie.
“Do you have any regrets after this defeat in three sets?
We always have regrets. We always say to ourselves: “I could have done this a little better, that a little better… In the first set, when I was broken at 5-4, I rushed a little. In the third, he broke on a game where I didn’t pass any first serves… I had a full game but he made the best decisions and was stronger than me. He also served better in the important moments.
Were you physically a little worse than the previous days?
No, I was fine, my ground cover was good. At the start of the match, I even had the impression that he was struggling to deport me and make winning points. At the end, he loosened up a bit more and it was going faster.
“There are a lot of positive things to take from this quarter-final”
Your beautiful journey here should give you heartache in relation to all the efforts made on a daily basis…
It’s certain. Since I arrived in the United States, I say that my goal is to win a few matches to find my rhythm. If I manage to hold Jannik today, it’s because I won a few matches before and I built up confidence little by little. There are a lot of positive things to take from this quarter-final. That’s what I’m going to do to get back to work and play well in Cincinnati, with the goal of winning as many games as possible.
You said the other day that you had to play a lot of tournaments in order to move up the rankings. What is the objective by the end of the season?
As soon as my body allows me, I just try to play as many matches as possible. Afterwards, it’s complicated because I also have to find a balance with my personal life. We will therefore see how I will be at the level of my body and at the personal level, because many things have changed in my life. »
