Gaël Monfils qualified for the second round of Roland-Garros 2023. LISI NIESNER / REUTERS
Admirable courage, the French overthrew Sebastien Baez at the end of the night after an epic fight of nearly four hours in an atmosphere of madness on the Philippe Chatrier court.
At Roland Garros
Collapsed on the central court in an ocher jersey which gives him the impression of being one with the clay, he does not seem to realize what has just happened to him. Gaël Monfils cannot hold back his tears after having fought a heroic fight of almost four hours in an incandescent Philippe Chatrier court. Fallen to 394th place in the world and very badly embarked on the fifth inning in which he seemed to be lost at 0-4, “The Monfoverturned everything in its path to offer a magical evening. A “monfesque” show of which he alone has the secret in front of stands still well stocked while the clock indicated midnight fifteen. The hour of the last Paris metros.
Overwhelmed by cramps at the end of the game, carried by the “Gael! Gael! Gael!“Fiery and two vibrant Marseillaise, the Parisian finally validated his ticket for the second round against Sebastian Baez, 42nd world player of 22 years disgusted by the insane resistance of the French veteran. Monfils, however, looked exhausted with his shorts pushed up to the top of his thighs, his eyes lost on his clan, moving about crushing the cockroaches on the ground between the points.
A fight of almost four hours
Admirable courage when we thought he was at the end of his rope, constantly asking for the support of the spectators with whom he played with his mischievous and laughing gaze, the Frenchman finally won the showdown (3-6, 6 -3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6) to afford a royal duel against the formidable Holger Rune. It will be Thursday for the 10th Frenchman qualified in the second round of the French Open (out of the 28 entered in both tables, male and female).
Until then, Gaël Monfils will have to focus above all on recovering. The Parisian, who returned to competition last March after being sidelined since August 2022 due to a right foot injury, limped off on his 36-year-old “old” legs. His bag then seemed to weigh a ton on his shoulders before dedicating his feat to Skaï, his daughter, on the camera lens at the edge of the court. “I had a new breath, pushed by the public. There are people who shouted, I said to myself “Come on, let’s go again”, and here it is… It’s exceptional, I have no words“, breathed the hero of the day who had won only one match, on abandonment in 2023, before thanking the spectators for their unwavering support, at the microphone of Prime Video: “It’s super late, you stayed, you supported me every point, it was very hard.»
Monfils reappeared before the journalists at half past one in the morning, with a reassuring gait and a keen eye. “I lived a crazy thing, without doubt one of the two greatest moments of my career with the victory in five sets against Cuevas over the Suzanne Leglen in 2015. I managed to win a match that I knew very difficult. I had trained with him a few days ago and found him to be super strong. Besides, when I saw the draw, I was not very happy“Explained the player who admitted to having dropped the fourth inning to better rebound in the fifth.
I was dead
Gael Monfils
«At that time, I was dead. We can say that we make movies from time to time on the courts but there, my legs really hurt, in both quadriceps. Despite everything, I managed to say to myself “Don’t worry, you’ll recover and you’ll be the n… in the fifth set“, Described the champion with eleven titles on the circuit.
But all did not go as planned after the loss of two services plunging him to the edge of the precipice, on the verge of giving up. “There, I just said to myself that I did not want to take 6-0. I had to win at least one game, that’s all. And then, subconsciously, I thought that if I could push a little bit, we don’t know what could happen with this incredible audience.“Blowed the young father now turned to the mountain Holger Rune. “My goal was to be able to get back in shape to be able to take steps like that. Nailed it. And there, I regained confidence in my body“, he asserts in conclusion and in a radiant smile. Whatever happens on Thursday, the 2023 vintage from Gaël Monfils Porte d’Auteuil will remain a tremendous success.
