The French player took the best Sunday the Serbian Kecmanovic in the fourth round. He will play on Tuesday, the tenth quarter-final of his career Grand Slam, facing the Italian Berrettini.
Le Monde with AFP
The improvement of French tennis poles apart continues. If Adrian Mannarino saw his path to the Australian Open interrupted, Sunday 23 January, by Rafael Nadal at the stage of knockout (7-6 defeat [14], 6-2, 6-2), Gael Monfils continues his way. Recent winner of the Adelaide tournament – preparatory to the first Grand Slam of the year – was imposed Sunday against Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (7-5, 7-6, 6-3) and rises in quarter final of the Australian Open for the first time since 2016.
Opposed to the 77 th global player, which has benefited in some way from the expulsion of Australia Novak Djokovic after an arm wrestling with the country’s authorities continent (Kecmanovic had to face fellow world number one in the first round of the tournament), Monfils has not had it easy. “I leave very tired! It was warm, wet … I knew he was playing well,” blew the French press conference after the game.
Former world number one youth, his Serbian opponent proved catchy and could worry the French 35 years, as it was the case this fall at the Masters 1000 Paris-Bercy (victory monfils in three sets).
But on the important points, especially late in the first round, the experience of veteran tricolor prevailed. “In the tiebreak [first set], it was given a push, and I let a long forehand crazy online observes Monfils. It was the attempt, it is confidence, work. J ”ve made millions, billions [in training]. It must start at this point in the game. “
in the women’s Alize Cornet can imitate Monday
In a difficult meeting, the number 1 French drew energy in opposition of a part of the Australian public. “The public against me, I was excited. They spoke too much, it gorged myself and that’s good motivation,” insists Gael Monfils. Exuberant on the court, the French like to do the show, for or against the public, and relishes to play again in front of the filled enclosures. “It helped me because it released me. Thanks to them.”
Eliminated in the first round of the Australian Grand Slam tournament last year, first misstep harbinger of a galley year the French moves on to Melbourne. Qualified for the quarterfinals – tenths of a Major in his career – for the second time in Australia after 2016, it is now the last four
On Tuesday, he will face Berrettini Matteo (world number 7), his last opponent in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. In 2019, the Italian had won the US Open in five sets. “I still want to do better and I will try to play better than my last quarter, warns Monfils. I want to keep pushing and going as far as possible.”
After a year 2021 without any player or player reaches to climb in the final round of a Grand Slam tournament, the French tennis breathe a little early this year. At 32, Alize Cornet will have the opportunity on Monday to qualify for the first quarter-final of a Major in his career, thirteen years after their first knockout round in Melbourne.
He will have to get the better of the Romanian Simona Halep (15 World number). “This is not a dream, it’s just an ambition that is completely plausible, insisted the French on Saturday. A dream is something utopian, that will never happen, while going further a quarter in a Grand Slam, I think since I was 19 years old. “
If the French tennis is still far from having recovered from his difficult years, Gael Monfils him, seems to have found his game. “There, I play well. But to win Tuesday I’ll have to play very well.”