Tennis icon John McEnroe has named Gael Monfils as one of the three most talented players never to win a Grand Slam title after the Frenchman’s stunning Australian Open win against Taylor Fritz.
Monfils delivered a masterclass to upset fourth seed Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4 in a third round contest lasting three hours and seven minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
The world No 41 was devastating in attack as he served 24 aces, won 77% of his service points, dropped serve only once and struck 58 winners to just 34 unforced errors.
The 38-year-old’s incredible speed and defensive skills were also on full display as Fritz struggled to find a way through him.
The victory was Monfils’ first win against a top 10 player at a major since he beat Grigor Dimitrov at the 2014 US Open. It was his first Grand Slam triumph over an opponent ranked in the top five since he defeated David Ferrer at the 2011 French Open.
The furthest Monfils has progressed in a Grand Slam is to the semi-finals, something he achieved at the 2008 French Open and the 2016 US Open. The former world No 6 is a two-time quarter-finalist at the Australian Open (2016, 2022).
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Following Monfils’ win against Fritz, seven-time major singles champion McEnroe had high praise for the hugely popular Frenchman.
“He had a brilliant strategic match. No one can match his dancing ability on the court, that’s for sure. The guy’s unbelievable. But he outserved Fritz, which I didn’t think would happen,” the American told Eurosport.
-“He managed the heat as well, better than Fritz. He had a great strategy and put him in an uncomfortable position, mixed up his pace with attacking when he needed to. Absolutely fantastic. And I can’t believe Monfils is playing this well this late in his career.
“But I pointed out earlier, to me he’s one of the three most talented guys never to win a major him. (Monfils), [Nick] Kyrgios and [Alexander] Zverev to me are the three most and he’s played as if he believes he has a shot. I can’t believe he’s playing this well this late.”
The former world No 1 identified Fritz’s struggle to finish points at the net and the pressure on the American after reaching the 2024 US Open final as factors in the match.
“You know, he (Fritz) looked pretty iffy up there [at the net]. He talks about it. I’ve been coaching him a couple times at the Laver Cup a handful of times. He says there, I want no part at the net,” McEnroe assessed.
“He’s made strides. He’s gotten better. But when push comes to shove, especially in this match today, he didn’t he wasn’t able to make it happen.
“And I think he is feeling pressure, too, as a four seed coming in, the expectations a lot higher. He’s been in the finals of the US Open. He’s going to be really disappointed with that.
“I could hear him screaming on a number of occasions during the match. ‘I can’t hurt him, I can’t get the ball by him.’ And Monfils’ court coverage was like he was 25. It was amazing.”
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