ATP: The sensitive Gael Monfils dreams of a big coup

Gael Monfils is generally known on the course as a showman. With his spectacular playing and occasional acting, he played himself into the hearts of many tennis fans. But the Frenchman insists that having fun is the only way for him to succeed.

“Outside the court, I’m completely different,”Monfils said in an interview with Socrates magazine,”It’s true that I like to amuse myself, but I also do things with a certain normality.”

One of these is the 31-year-old boy having a little quarrel with his girlfriend or shopping in the supermarket, where many people are astonished to find him there. One thing is certain: Monfils doesn’t want – and can’t – change his living manner.

“I’m not a robot,”Monfils held on. In the 2016 season he was determined to show less emotion during matches. Without success, like the world rankings-43. told:”I couldn’t handle it well. Because I’m different. I have to stay myself to realize my potential. I like being happy on the court. If I lose, at least I had fun playing the game.”

It took me a long time to differentiate my private life from my professional career,”he said,” I’m a sensitive person, and in order to achieve my goals on the tour, Monfils also needs to work well in my private life.

I’m not that far away,”said Monfils,” but with legends like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, it’s much more complicated than that.”

For the current season, Monfils has decided to “fully attack and better deal with my body and stress”, and so far he has done quite well: Monfils won the ATP 250 tournament in Doha before losing to Novak Djokovic in round two of the Australian Open after a heat battle.

This week Monfils has already made it to the Quito quarter-finals, where he has a good chance of advancing against the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro (from about 9 p. m. at the LIVECENTER) on Friday. Monfils won the only duel of the two so far in three easy sets – at his favourite tournament, the French Open.