We wanted to believe it, saying that it was probably the best time for Gaël Monfils to beat Daniil Medvedev (4th) and validate a large part of the work done in recent months. Because, if the Russian obviously started favorite in this second round of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo, his aversion to clay and the context of a first match of the season on this surface meant that Monfils had a good card to play.
But for this, he would have had to be able to rely on all of his physical resources. However, as soon as his victory over Aleksandar Vukic was acquired the day before, the Frenchman admitted to being completely exhausted, at the end of his rope. To the point of withdrawing in advance from the tournaments following Monte-Carlo. This physical deficit, against Medvedev, could be very costly. And it quickly did.
Too passive, not engaged enough in his strikes, Monfils suffered from Medvedev’s play. Instead of forcing the Russian to play both against him and against the surface, Monfils let him settle in a first set where his serve did not offer him enough protection (90% of first serves, but only 47% of points won behind).
Medvedev gets angry and finishes with a bang
By finally letting go of his shots, Monfils created an illusion in the second set. He was leading 4-1 and we could imagine a new crazy scenario like “La Monf”. Especially since the Russian was distracted following two arbitration decisions. A blessing in disguise which allowed him to win the last five games of the match. He will meet his compatriot Karen Khachanov in the round of 16.
