A few small dance steps, a cry of rage, strong thanks to a vibrant and loving crowd: after a last ace (on the 24the) on match point, Gaël Monfils completed one of the greatest moments of his career in his own way, at 38 years and 4 months. No more than his other opponents for two weeks, the American Taylor Fritz has not been able to oppose the champagne tennis of the “French veteran”, as it is called in Australia.
Despite winning the first set (6-3) which promised a quiet afternoon, the world number 4 was gradually outclassed by the joy of playing, the crazy talent and the refined tactical sense of a Monfils at the top of his art, winner of a Top 5 in a Grand Slam for the first time since… 2008, when he dominated David Ferrer on the way to his first and only semi-final at Roland-Garros. He was only 21 years old at the time and had his whole life ahead of him. France saw him on the roof of the world, destiny was different but this unique player, winner of 15 career tournaments and 6e world at its “prime”, remains an attraction capable of getting tennis fans up in the middle of the night.
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The match was intense, sometimes brilliant as in the decisive game of the third round, but Monfils, winner in more than three hours (3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 in 3h08), finished ahead in the number of winning shots (58 against 44) and efficiency on serve and at the net. In the second week, he joins Ugo Humbert, the French number 1, who will face Alexander Zverev this Sunday. The third Frenchman still in the running, Corentin Moutet, was on the other hand beaten in 3 sets by the young qualifier Learner Tien, a 19-year-old Californian, who learns quickly and is better than two you’ll get it (7-6, 6-3 , 6-3).
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At 38 years and 4 months, Monfils enters the record zone
As the years went by, “la Monf’” entered the record zone: in Auckland he had already become the oldest winner of the Open era on the ATP circuit, he is only the second 38-year-old player to qualify for the 8e final in Australia since 1988 (after Roger Federer in 2020), the first French winner of a Top 5 in a Major since 2016, his victory of the day allows him to equal Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has the greatest number of victories (37) for a Frenchman in Melbourne…
And we could continue for a long time, like his journey if he maintains the same level of demands and physical freshness. On Monday, his next opponent will be another American, Ben Shelton, 22 years old and world number 21, for a first face-to-face which promises to be as spectacular as it is uncertain between these two solar personalities. « Pop-corn match »as they say there!
