Impressive tactically, Gaël Monfils eliminated the American Taylor Fritz, seeded n°4, in the third round of the Australian Open. On Saturday, the Frenchman won in four sets (3-6, 7-5, 7-6 [1]6-4), without overplaying. In the next round he will face Ben Shelton.
Where do you place this victory in the great moments of your career?
I have trouble gaining perspective. It’s a very good victory. I think I played well, I managed to be tactically stable, in what I wanted to do throughout the match. I’m happy with the way I played, even if I can’t really place it. It’s not every day that we manage to apply a tactic. At times, I was courageous, I was happy to get my lines, to be a little more violent in the tie-break of the third set. I’m happy to have had a big match. I felt good, I locked well as I wanted, I didn’t overplay, I managed to take it where I wanted. I’m happy.
Do you think you can win this tournament?
Earn ? No. To be honest with you, it’s not even a dream to win the tournament. My dream is to be old, fit, with lots of children. My dream is to have an incredible family. Tennis is cool, but my dream is elsewhere.
This is your first success against a Top 5 in a Grand Slam since 2008 (editor’s note: against David Ferrer at Roland-Garros). What inspires you?
I didn’t even know this stat. I don’t look at stats. I’m just happy to have won today (Saturday). Numbers are just numbers. On the court, whether you play 4th, 10th or 100th in the world, it’s always a battle.
-At 38 years old, do you still consider yourself one of the best athletes on the circuit?
He thinks I’m the best 38-year-old athlete on the Tour, that’s for sure. It’s just my victory. The rest of the circuit, I don’t worry too much about it. I was obviously a better player in my prime, but as it stands, I have more experience and can adjust. For example today, I knew how to sometimes slow down the rally, change the rhythms, I felt good, I moved well and I was able to maintain that for a long time during the match.
How much confidence did what happened at the Auckland tournament last week give you ahead of the Australian Open?
I will always thank Pedro (Martinez who led 6-1, 5-2 in the first round). This match helped me a lot, mentally and physically. Then, when you have a string of victories, you have momentum and it’s a good feeling to know what you want to do. I’m riding this moment and we’ll see.
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