The French tennis player Gael Monfils achieved a new record yesterday, having played at least one final in 17 consecutive years. After achieving this achievement by qualifying for the final of the ATP 250 Sofia 2021, the French player attended the media to show what his feelings are.
– He will play a new ATP final after having been fighting for a year and a half with injuries:
“It’s quite special, yes, but it hasn’t been easy at all. It’s been a long time since the last final I got. People don’t realize it, but when you’re in the tournament, you want to play, you want to get good results. I am very happy to have been able to handle myself well these last few days. The most difficult thing this week is to play again without an audience in the stands. It takes a little longer to adapt to these conditions because I am a tennis player who is in constant contact with the stands and I amuse everyone in their seats. Frankly, to have reached the final here is incredible. Hopefully we can fight for the title against Sinner. “
– Great level in the second set, where he only lost four points and managed to endorse a player like Marcos Giron 6-0:
“It was a somewhat strange game. I quickly saw myself down in the game as soon as I started. I felt like I lacked energy. I tried to talk to my team and they encouraged me a bit. It was not easy since I was being superior compared to my rival . I decided to change the pace a bit, slow down and play a little more offensive. The game became very physical. Then what happened is typical of games of this type. When you manage to find the right tempo, you try to keep it while you rival does not try to change strategy “.
– 17 consecutive years managing to reach an ATP final:
“My physical therapist told me (laughs). It’s great to have done something like that. People have the impression that only a player who wins a Grand Slam is incredible. But there are all kinds of achievements in this sport that we do not value enough. Very few appreciate the fact of having won 600 ATP matches or have managed to play many finals. What I have achieved is incredible. 17 seasons in a row having played at least one final. There are only two more players who have achieved this and they are Rafael Nadal (18 consecutive seasons – active record) and Roger Federer (2000-2019). I am very flattered to be with them in this record, “he concluded.
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