Gael Monfils

[Samurray]

Monfils out of Davis Cup semi with knee injury



Gael Monfils has pulled out of France's Davis Cup semi-final against Spain because of a knee injury, his coach said on Wednesday.

"He has to rest for 15 days," Patrick Chamagne told reporters.

World number seven Monfils was knocked out of the U.S. Open last week in the second round.

Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon were the other players picked by captain Guy Forget to face Spain in Cordoba from September 16-18.

Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra were named as substitutes.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/monfils-davis- ... 12468.html

[DUN I LOVE]

Henri Leconte będzie pomagał Monfilsowi podczas turniejów w Valencii i Bercy.

Monfils z nowym trenerem

Były finalista French Open, Henri Leconte, będzie pełnił funkcję trenera Gaela Monfilsa przy okazji najbliższych turniejów w Walencji i Paryżu.

48-letni Leconte, finalista French Open w 1988 roku i zwycięzca Pucharu Davisa w 1991 roku, pracował jako ekspert telewizyjny od momentu odejścia na sportową emeryturę. Do tej pory nie miał żadnych doświadczeń szkoleniowych.

- Bardzo lubię Gaela, on ma niewyobrażalny potencjał. Potrafi grać w sposób nietypowy i ma w sobie mnóstwo charyzmy. Trenowanie takiego tenisisty będzie dla mnie dużym wyzwaniem, ale jestem bardzo zadowolony, że tak się stanie – powiedział Leconte.

Monfils jest notowany na dziewiątym miejscu w rankingu ATP. W lipcu zerwał współpracę z dotychczasowym opiekunem, Rogerem Rasheedem z Austrii.

Turnieje w Hiszpanii i Francji rozpoczną się w listopadzie.

http://boisko.pl/tenis/22420,monfils-z- ... nerem.html

Francuskie źródło (lequipe): http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/breves2011 ... e-feu.html

[sheva]

Monfils could be done for the season with knee injury



Gael Monfils will be hard-pressed to play any more tennis in 2011 as doctors in Paris this week take a look at the knee injury which forced the world No. 9 to withdraw from this month's key Chinese events on the ATP tour.

Monfils was beaten in a tough semifinal last weekend in Bangkok, losing unexpectedly to American hope Donald Young in three sets. Young was later crushed in the title match by Andy Murray.

Monfils has yet to complete a season since starting his career in 2004. His fitness problems this year have included a February wrist injury, a spring cheese allergy, and the knee troubles which have bothered him for several months.

As it is, Monfils will lose a package of points that he is unable to defend after playing the final a year ago in Tokyo against Rafael Nadal.

His chances of fighting for a spot in the eight-man World Tour Finals next month in London are said to be finished, with Monfils unable to join recent French names in the field: Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008 and Richard Gasquet in 2007.

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... nee_injury

[Ranger]

Monfils recovers to beat Raonic in Stockholm semis



Gael Monfils storms back from a considerable deficit to defeat Milos Raonic on Saturday in Stockholm. Monfils will go up against Jarkko Nieminen for the title.

Gael Monfils battled back from a set and a break down to beat Milos Raonic 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 in a semifinal showdown at the If Stockholm Open on Saturday afternoon. Monfils struck four aces and won 55 percent of his second-serve return points to advance after two hours and nine minutes.

A tense first set saw a total of five break points saved--three by Raonic, two by Monfils--en route to a tiebreaker. Raonic erased a deficit in the 'breaker with two straight mini-breaks at 4-5 and 5-5, but Monfils saved set point with a backhand pass. After taking care of his next service point, Raonic clinched the opening frame of play on a forehand error from his opponent.

With momentum in hand, the 20-year-old Canadian seemed to take complete control with a quick break in the second. Raonic fought off one break point to consolidate the lead for 4-2, but that's when it started to fall apart. Out of nowhere, Monfils seized two consecutive breaks to steal the set and force a third.

Having squandered an opportunity to seal the deal in straights, Raonic could not keep pace in the decider. The world No. 29 held his first two service games, but Monfils capitalized on his third break chance at 3-2 with a winning backhand volley. Monfils, who gave back breaks twice while trying to close out Kevin Anderson on Friday, made no mistake this time. The 10th-ranked Frenchman lost only one point in his final two service games to clinch victory.

Monfils will go up against Jarkko Nieminen in a clash between two players who have struggled mightily in ATP title matches throughout their careers. Nieminen is 1-9 lifetime in finals while Monfils is just 3-11.

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... holm_semis

[Ranger]

Monfils takes on Nieminen in Stockholm final



Although they are no strangers to ATP finals, Gael Monfils and Jarkko Nieminen do not often find themselves in the winner's circle. One will be the last man standing in Stockholm on Sunday.

Gael Monfils and Jarkko Nieminen will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this month when they battle for the If Stockholm Open title on Sunday. They just faced each other in the Bangkok quarterfinals, with Monfils prevailing 7-5, 7-6(4).

Nieminen is a clear underdog, but he will be encouraged by his current form and his close call against Monfils three weeks ago. The 30-year-old Finn is one win away from improving his 2011 record to .500 at 22-22. So far this week Nieminen, ranked 73rd in the world, has taken out Marius Copil, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tobias Kamke, and James Blake.

Monfils has been dealing with injury concerns, but nonetheless he continues to play stellar tennis. Although he skipped Beijing and Shanghai, the 10th-ranked Frenchman is back in business with a trio of three-set wins in Stockholm--over Bernard Tomic, Kevin Anderson, and Milos Raonic. Monfils, who enjoyed a successful summer on American hard courts prior to an early loss at the U.S. Open, is now 35-14 for the season.

Both players may have to get over a mental block in ATP finals. They are a combined 4-20 lifetime when competing for titles; Monfils is 3-11 and Nieminen is 1-9. Monfils last triumphed on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier in 2010 while Nieminen's lone title came five years ago in Auckland.

The question on Sunday will be if Monfils can stay focused for an entire match. He was up to his usual showmanship in all three previous matches this week but got back on track just in time to emerge victorious. An in-form top seed should be able to feast on Nieminen's second serves and triumph again in two competitive sets.

Źródło: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/previews/2 ... holm_final

[Ranger]

#4): Sztokholm 2011:



R32 Bye
R16 Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6/4, 6/7, 6/4
Q Kevin Anderson (RPA) 7/5, 7/5
S Milos Raonic (CAN) 6/7, 6/4, 6/3
F Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 7/5, 3/6, 6/2

[Ranger]

Monfils Beats Nieminen To Claim Stockholm Title



World No. 10 Gael Monfils capped off his debut at the If Stockholm Open on Sunday by claiming his first title of the year with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Jarkko Nieminen. The Frenchman, who has an outside chance to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, jumps up to No. 14 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Year-To-Date Rankings. "My concentration was the key for me today," said Monfils. "I just believed I could win this match.

"Jarkko was playing good when he was in front. Some spots in the match were high level tennis and he was moving well. At the end I think he got a bit fatigued. I played him three weeks ago [in Bangkok] but I was more impressed with him today."

Monfils relinquished a break advantage twice in the opening set, as the two players exchanged breaks in the first four games. After each settled in on serve, Monfils broke Nieminen for the third time to move ahead 6-5, and served out the set.

In the second set, Nieminen struck first on return, breaking the No. 1 seed to take a 4-2 lead, but was immediately broken back by Monfils. The Finn though, wasn’t fazed, as he broke Monfils again to lead 5-3, and held serve to even the clash at one set all.

Both players reached the final by winning two matches in the three sets, and it was Monfils who stepped up in the final set, winning 75 percent of his service points. He broke the 73rd-ranked Nieminen twice to take the encounter in one hour and 52 minutes.

With the win, Monfils captured his fourth title and first since winning the Montpellier crown last year (d. Ljubicic). He improved his final record to a 4-11 mark.

Nieminen suffered his third defeat in the Stockholm final after falling in the 2001 and 2006 title matches, and dropped to a 1-10 record in finals. The 30 year old was looking to hoist his first trophy in nearly six years, when he defeated Mario Ancic in the 2006 Auckland final. He was also looking to become just the second left-hander to win a title this season (Rafael Nadal).

Źródło: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... Title.aspx

[Joao]

C'est La Vie, Gael Mon-fee(s)

Spoiler:

Who says tennis is stuck in an ancient rut and resistant to all change? I left the sport behind for a week and came back yesterday to find that a sensational, revolutionary advance had been made in Stockholm: The ball kids were equipped with little pieces of netting—think mini lacrosse sticks—to help them gather up the balls. No more bending and stretching and grabbing and hustling like over-sugared children. If they could get to the ball when it was still bouncing, all they had to do was nonchalantly put their net around it, without even breaking stride. After a while, I started to think they looked lazy doing it, that it was all a little too easy now. What are we paying these kids for, anyhow? (On second thought, are we paying these kids?)

We’ll see if this long-delayed ball-boy liberation spreads as quickly as the Arab Spring. Otherwise, it was a moderately consequential week of fall tennis, the final lull before the frenetic stretch run. On the women’s side, Victoria Azarenka made herself a favorite for the season-ender in Istanbul with an easy win in Luxembourg, while Dominika Cibulkova won her first career title, in Moscow—I would have guessed she would have won something else along the way, but titles can be deceptively difficult to come by. (I also would have guessed that Gael Monfils would have won, even if it was just by accident, more than three tournaments, but that's all he had coming to Stockholm last week.) The match of most significance, though, was the ATP’s first all-Serb final, in Moscow, between Janko Tipsarevic and Victor Troicki.

With his win in that match, Tipsarevic took home his second title of the fall and kept himself alive for a spot in London. His success, as well as Troicki’s, reminds me of Fernando Verdasco’s in 2008 and 2009. Verdasco said that his clinching win in the Davis Cup final in Argentina and subsequent run to the semis at the Australian Open had been inspired in part by watching his countryman Rafael Nadal win Wimbledon, something a Spanish man hadn’t done in more than 40 years. Tipsarevic has said similar things about his own inspirational countryman, Novak Djokovic, this season. Tipsy and Novak are friends, while Verdasco and Rafa aren’t, really; but both pairs are tied together as Davis Cup teammates—they’re more than just separate individuals in an individual sport. Tipsarevic’s surge at 27 years old is also another case of the “next” good player coming not from the juniors, but from the ranks of established pros. He won the Aussie Open junior title way back in 2001. I haven't seen much of his play this fall, but Tipsy has always been a go-for-broke kind of guy, trading pace for consistency. He's obviously found a better balance lately; it's hard to think of a better example of that balance than Djokovic's game in 2011.

Speaking of established pros, two others, Monfils and Jarkko Nieminen, also contested the one match I did see over the weekend. What these two men had established, as much as anything else, were two very bad records in finals. Monfils, a perennial Top 15 player, came in with a 3-10 record, while the 30-year-old Nieminen was 1-9. The good news was that one of them had to improve on that.

That player was Monfils, who won in three sets, but both men showed why they’ve had so much trouble in these moments. Nieminen, a pesky, soft-hitting lefty—he’s a veteran, yes, but I don’t think the Fin quite qualifies as “wily”—played fine, steady, even controlling tennis for much of the first set. Then, at 5-5, down break point, he got a look at a nice, fat, mid-court forehand—and pulled it six inches wide. Nieminen wasn’t happy, but he didn’t look all that surprised either. Monfils went on to hold easily for the set.

Then, naturally, it was the Frenchman’s turn to let his opponent off the hook. Good players will loosen up with the lead and front run, but Monfils takes the concept to its illogical extreme: He loosens up so much that he appears aimless out there. In the second set, he took a step back and allowed Nieminen to dictate his own fate.

As I said, one these two reluctant titlists had to win. The match was finally decided at 2-1 in the third set. Monfils had a break point, and both players ended up at the net for a little cat-and-mouse display. Monfils overdid it, of course, sliding a forehand gently crosscourt when the down the line was wide open. But he won the point anyway when Nieminen’s next flick shot caught the tape. Monfils had the break, and this time he really did front run with it.

It was an entertaining end to a quiet tennis week. The crowd in Stockholm was upbeat and vocal in their support for their fellow Scandinavian, and the match was played in a similarly upbeat spirit. Monfils now says he wants to win in Bercy, but there’s no reason to speculate about his future—it’s always c’est la vie with him, anyway. What I enjoyed most on Sunday wasn’t his tennis as much as the variety of expressions he brings to each match. For the most part, he’s jettisoned the more annoying ones as he’s grown up—there was no rapping to himself or off-his-meds chest beating in Stockholm. Instead, Monfils smiled after well-played points, laughed at his own stupid line-call challenges, rose up with a look of showy, I-know-it's-phony-but-it's-fun-to-try-to-look-tough-anyway fierceness when he served for the match, crossed himself and thanked the heavens after the final point, and made his eyes bulge comically as he pretended not to be able to lift the huge Stockholm globe trophy (one of the best trophies of the year, by the way).

Gael Monfils: By almost blowing a match that should have been his easily, he made it more fun for all of us in the end. Some things in tennis really don't change.

Steve Tignor

http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/2011/10 ... n-fee.html

[asiek]

Monfils ignores London challenge to focus on Paris Bercy



Monfils ignores London challenge to focus on Paris Bercy Gael Monfils moved up in the chase for a place in the ATP World Tout Finals in London, standing 14th for eight-man event after winning the Stockholm Open in his debut.

But the Frenchman's heart remains set on a closer goal - finally claiming the home Masters 1000 title at Paris Bercy.

"Honestly, my goal is to do well again in Bercy (arena)," said 10th-ranked Monfils, who has lost the last two Paris indoor finals to Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling. "I'm not looking at London at all."

After healing a knee injury which had looked it might end his season early when he lost three weeks ago in a Bangkok semifinal, Monfils has breathed new live into his game.

"I'm not playing this week, I think that will be good for my body. But I want to build for Paris. Maybe I can also play well in Valencia (next week). But my ultimate goal for this season is to win in Bercy."

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20111 ... aris_Bercy

[Ranger]

VALENCIA OPEN 500 2011

Third-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who is also attempting to qualify for London, needed just one hour to dismiss Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-1 as he capitalised on four of his eight break points. Monfils was playing his first match since lifting his fourth tour-level title, two weeks ago in Stockholm. He currently stands at No. 14 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Year-To-Date Rankings.

Źródło: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... n-Win.aspx

[jaccol55]

O sportowym obuwiu Gaela:

Tubes and Toons: Monfils' Signature Shoe



You may never possess the eye-popping speed, helium hops, shot-making skill or impressionistic imagination of Gael Monfils, but you can can celebrate Christmas by stepping into the flashy Frenchman's shoes.

K-Swiss will release the new Gael Monfils signature shoe, the Tubes Monfils Mid (MSRP $110) on KSwiss.com two days after Christmas. Monfils, who has worn the K-Swiss Big Shot shoe in the past, will wear this new shoe at the Australian Open, says K-Swiss says. The black, silver and blue men's shoe ranges in size from 6.5 to 15.

K-Swiss applied its Tubes technology to tennis for the first time with the debut of its K-Swiss Tubes Tennis 100 shoe on July 1. Like the earlier release, the Tubes Monfils Mid is a high-performance shoe, featuring full-length Tubes technology cushioning for comfort and shock-absorption. The Aosta II rubber outsole is designed for durability and to offer good traction on a variety of surfaces.

The shoe's cutting-edge cosmetic and Monfils-related detail is much more vivid in person than it is in the photo above (in which the kicks look a little like space shoes). A silver cartoon image of Monfils—complete with spiky hair—underscored by his nickname "LaMonf!" in silver type stands out at the top of the black tongue. The inside of the shoe (above the heel) depicts the image of "Sliderman" in a near full split, a bit reminiscent of the leaping Michael Jordan Air Jordan logo. Monfils' name appears in angled font above the heel with K-Swiss emblazoned in black type across the side of the shoe.

The Monfils Mid is a mid-cut shoe, reinforced with "heat-wielded TPU" that weighs in at about 15.6 oz.—about one ounce heavier than the Tubes Tennis 100. Perforations above the toe box are added for breathability.

How does the new Monfils signature shoe perform on court? We'll let you know once we've tested a pair of them.

http://blogs.tennis.com/the_pro_shop/20 ... -shoe.html

[Sempere]

[Joao]

Biofile with Gael Monfils

Tennis Inspiration: “Arthur Ashe.”

Childhood Heroes: “My hero was maybe Michael Jordan.”

Nickname: “Lamonf. Sliderman”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “NBA, watch TV and movies and music.”

Favorite Movie: “Remember The Titans.”

Musical Tastes: “Like 50 Cent, Ilona, Gregory Gumbs, rap, dance-soul combination.”

Last Book Read: “Was The Davinci Code.”

Favorite Meal: “Caribbean meal.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Lemon.”

First Job: “Nothing [smiles].”

Pre-Match Feeling: “I don’t know, nothing special.”

Early Tennis Memory: “Bercy. It was my first senior tournament (2004). And it was unbelievable. And I qualified, passed one round. I played Hewitt in front of 15,000 people. My first time in the stadium. I was 17. It was so nice. Playing in front of my family was the first time for me, so it was magic for me.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I don’t know yet [smiles].”

Most Painful Moment: “When I injure myself and can’t play, it’s a difficult time.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Oh yes, I like every French player, but mostly Gasquet, Tsonga and also Paul Henri Mathieu, Clement, Grosjean, Simon.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “I don’t know.”

Toughest Competitors: “Everybody.”

Favorite Vacation: “Caribbean in Guadaloupe, Martinique.”

Favorite Tournaments: “I don’t know, every tournament is nice. But for me the best is Roland Garros. I like Miami too.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like watching David Nalbandian. I love his game, how the way he play. I love to watch him play. Richard Gasquet. Grosjean. Same reason. I really like his game. Because he’s my friend and his game was so beautiful, so that’s why I like it. His moves, his forehand, his backhand, very good. I really like to watch him.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “Maybe the Monte Carlo three years ago. Against Stepanek. Because I was injured, it was 6-0 2-0 through two sets and I have to retire so it was very embarrasing for me. Or at Roland Garros (2005). Because it was two sets up and I was playing bad. Very embarrassing (lost in 1R to Canas 6-3, 6-1, 6-0).”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I don’t remember. Every time is funny. Everything for me. I don’t have one.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Everybody is fine for me.”

http://thebiofile.com/2010/05/roland-ga ... l-monfils/

[Barty]

BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS 2011
Berdych Backs His Own Game


Tomas Berdych believes he has the game to beat anyone in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals field.

Going into his second successive campaign at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Tomas Berdych declared he has the game to beat any one of his rivals in London. The Czech, who reached his first major final at Wimbledon last year, upending Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic en route, insisted he won’t be adjusting his playing style when he comes up against the Big Four in London again.

"I'm not thinking 'Do I need to be doing something different or not [against different opponents]?'" explained Berdych at the round-table interviews on Saturday at The O2. "If I bring my best game then I know every time I play . When I was able to play my best tennis, I was able to beat all of those guys. I hope I can get to that level and then we'll see what's going to happen."

Consistency has been the key for the 26-year-old Berdych this season, a factor he attributes to his improved mental strength. The right-hander comes into the season finale having just reached the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, where he upset Andy Murray in the quarter-finals before falling to Federer. Last month he snapped a 29-month title drought with victory at the China Open in Beijing (d. Cilic).

No match is easy in a field that features the best eight players in the world, but Berdych has a particularly challenging opening match at The O2 as he faces World No. 1 Djokovic on Monday night. The pair also met in the first round-robin match last year, with the Serb prevailing in straight sets.

"It's tough to predict my chances," said Berdych looking ahead to the week, during which he will also be faced with Murray and David Ferrer. "The important thing is to start my first match well and then we will see. I have to go step-by-step and be ready for my first match. I'm not thinking about what happens if I win or lose my first match."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... a-Day.aspx

[robpal]

2011 w liczbach

Ranking: 16
Bilans meczów: 38-16
Tytuły: 1 (Sztokholm)
Finały: 1 (Waszyngton)
Zarobki: $1,094,353

[Mario]

Przegrany finał w Doha.

Gael Monfils - przegrane finały (12)
2012 (1) Doha
2011 (1) Waszyngton
2010 (3) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paryż-Bercy, Tokio, Stuttgart
2009 (2) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paryż - Bercy, Acapulco
2008 (1) Wiedeń
2007 (1) Poertschach
2006 (1) Doha
2005 (2) Lyon, Metz

Tym razem Gaelowi nie udało się wygrać w Stolicy Kataru. Mimo porażki Francuz cały turniej może zaliczyć do udanych, głownie ze względu na zwycięstwo z Nadalem.

[Sempere]

AO12: wywiad po zwycięstwie w 1 rundzie.

17.01.12

Q. Would you talk about the first set. You kind of had to work your way into the match a little bit.

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, I mean, I think Marinko had a tough first four games, and then he get into it. Then it was really windy. It was really hard to handle it.

I think at one stage we just tried to put the ball in and see what happen. Obviously I was a bit better than him in the breaker. Then I think I played a little bit better, maybe made less mistake, and then it was easier.



Q. Were you surprised by the way he came back after you took that 40 lead?

GAËL MONFILS: Not really. I think because he put the ball in, and then I think I played like very short.



Q. How is your ankle?

GAËL MONFILS: It was fine.



Q. It was just your shoe?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah. I mean, the back of my shoe like rip up a bit. Then I had to change it.



Q. The player who was in here before you, Marion Bartoli, has had some problems with the French Federation. They're saying even though she's the topranked French player, they won't let her play the Olympics because of lack of Fed Cup participation. As one of the top French male players, would you support her getting exemption to the Olympics?

GAËL MONFILS: You know, I don't think I'm the person to ask. I really like Marion and everyone. I mean, I'm just looking NBA and then tennis. Actually I'm so bad. I can't help you on that.



Q. Did you have any problem with the heat today?

GAËL MONFILS: I mean, everyone told me, but no. With the wind I mean, actually, warmer. I like when it's really warm. But today was cool.



Q. Do you think in general when you come down to the Open you have the mindset it's going to be hotter down here and you're trained for that?

GAËL MONFILS: I mean, yeah. Heat for me is nothing, you know. I'm from the Caribbean. Most of the time I'm out there in November, it's very hot.

I've been in Barbados, which is hot. With the wind today, it seems like it was 20 degrees. That's it.



Q. How much of a goal are the Olympics for you this year? I know grass isn't your best surface.

GAËL MONFILS: Well, I mean, it's definitely something I want be part of. We never know. Even we are four spot for the French male. I want to be part of this history. I will work to be in the team. Then, yeah, it's in the grass, so I will do my best and see.



Q. Do you want to play just singles or play doubles? Have you thought about that?

GAËL MONFILS: More I can play for my country, I mean, more happy I be. I be so happy and proud if I can play doubles, as well.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new ... 85158.html

[Ranger]

AO 2012: Wywiad po porażce w 3 rundzie.

Spoiler:

M. KUKUSHKIN/G. Monfils

6‑2, 7‑5, 5‑7, 1‑6, 6‑4



Q. It was a pretty incredible match. Can you talk about the first two sets and how you were feeling?

GAËL MONFILS: Which one?



Q. The first two sets, you had some injury problems.

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah.



Q. Can you talk a little bit about the injury.

GAËL MONFILS: I had a sore back, and then that's it.



Q. In the third and fourth sets, how did you come back? Did the trainer help you?

GAËL MONFILS: Yes, the trainer help. I get warm a little bit. I get nervous. I think mentally I was a bit tougher than him at that time and then we have a new match.



Q. The fifth set, the momentum shifted back and forth. What were you thinking when he broke you back?

GAËL MONFILS: I mean, to be honest, I was lucky to be in the fifth. I was serving like 120, 130, a couple time maybe 200. But my second serve was 100.

You know, you just play. Was like fun for me.



Q. After the last game when the interruption came with the ball on the court, that must have had an effect on you.

GAËL MONFILS: I was just poor. Two double‑fault. That's it.



Q. This is the second straight Grand Slam where you had a crazy five‑setter that you wound up losing. It was very entertaining. How much do you enjoy the show of it?

GAËL MONFILS: This one was tough because, you know, I had the sore back. But it was really cool. For sure the crowd help me. That's why I choose to keep going, because I could easily give up.

But it was like a nice atmosphere. I just try to luck in the match and fight, so it was cool.

Źródło: http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/new ... 46487.html

[DUN I LOVE]

Drugi przegrany finał w 2012.



Gael cały czas nie ma szczęścia do finałów. Francuz przegrał drugi taki mecz w tym roku i już 13 w karierze (na 17 prób).

Finały w singlu (13)
2012 - Montpellier, Doha
2011 - Waszyngton
2010 - ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paryż, Tokio, Stuttgart
2009 - ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paryż, Acapulco
2008 - Wiedeń
2007 - Poertschach
2006 - Doha
2005 - Lyon, Metz

[Joao]

Knee injury 'ruining my life' - Monfils

Gael Monfils is a doubt for France's Davis Cup clash against Canada after the Frenchman admitted he is struggling with a knee injury.

The world No. 13, who failed to defend his Open Sud de France title in Montpellier on Sunday, falling to Tomas Berdych in the final, revealed he had considered not playing.

"I was unsure [Saturday] evening [whether to play] because my knee had swollen," Monfils admitted. "I waited until after warming up in the morning to decide."

Monfils is due to travel to Vancouver with his French team-mates, but he will undergo tests before making a decision. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leads the French team, while Monfils was picked ahead of French No. 2 Gilles Simon.

"I'm going to undergo a little examination before heading for Canada because this knee is ruining my life and I don't want to take any risks for the rest of the season," Monfils said. "I don't want to be a burden on the France team. I'm ready for anything, including just playing the final day."

There was no movement at the top of the men's rankings, but Juan Monaco moved up six places to No. 23 following his victory at the VTR Open in Chile, while Mikhail Youzhny is up to No. 32 after his win in Zagreb

http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/134901.html