On the island of Majorca, Friday, Gaël Monfils could have made a little more history. Facing the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (world number 24) in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament in the Balearic Islands, the Parisian was aiming for the 35th final of his career. But above all, and even more notable, he had the opportunity to mark a new final on the ATP circuit for the twentieth consecutive season, something that only Roger Federer has, so far, accomplished in the Open era. But the Frenchman gave in in the third set tie-break (2-6, 6-2, 7-6 [3]), after an intense battle lasting almost two hours.
However, Monfils (40th in the world) entered the match ideally and much faster than Tabilo. Without rushing things, without taking excessive risks, on a surface which does not forgive the slightest error of edge in terms of placement, the Frenchman made the Chilean play, heckled him as needed with a good quality of service in first as well as in second ball, and a forehand which often hit the mark. With a double break in his pocket and a 4-0 tied up in express, the “Monf” was perfectly launched in this semi-final.
A little lost on the Mallorcan grass, which was largely shabby in the center at the baseline, the man who beat Novak Djokovic on the Roman clay last May had trouble shaking the Frenchman, making a number of forehand errors in particular. In 28 minutes, Monfils won the first set with a third ace and had his sights set on his second final on grass, after the one he played and lost in Eastbourne against Djokovic in 2017.
Two break points for Monfils in the third set
Certainly, Tabilo attacked the second set with a greatly increased aggressiveness slider, notably taking the ball earlier and hitting a little more sharply on the forehand side. But Monfils did not panic. Unfortunately, on a service game with two double faults, Monfils put himself in danger for the first time in the match and gave up his shot on a long rally lost on a sliced backhand that was too long. Trailing 4-2, the Frenchman suffered the blow and even dropped the set, 6-2, with a double fault.
In search of a fourth final, the third in 2024 after Auckland (title) and Santiago, Tabilo, the multi-surface Chilean, was invigorated and his first serve suddenly hurt the Frenchman more. But Monfils held his serve without any trouble either. It was on the Chilean side that things were rocking first. A bad choice of attack on the forehand, a big mistake on the backhand and a badly hit smash offered the Frenchman two break points at 2-2! But Monfils pulled off a backhand passing shot from the drop of a hat on the second and let the opportunity slip away.
Good signals before Wimbledon
This undecided story would be resolved in a final decisive game. A tie-break that the Chilean grabbed behind a massive long forehand to make the providential mini-break (4-2). Monfils would not come back and was even close to injuring himself on a desperate slide behind a drop volley, before surrendering on a double fault. For his first final on grass, Tabilo now awaits the identity of his opponent, who will be either the British qualifier Paul Jubb, who beat Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, or the Austrian Sebastian Ofner. For Monfils, this week in Majorca will have nevertheless offered quite a few good signals before setting foot on the royal turf of the All England Club.
