AUSTRALIAN OPEN.
[CR19] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. [CR117] Lucas Pouille (FRA)
If you could ask Monfils one question, what would you ask him?
If you could give Monfils one piece of advice, what would it be?
As entertaining as it is to watch Monfils play, I remain baffled why he has never won a major and why he has not had much more success given his innate talent. He complicates the issue more often than he should because of his chronic desire to be an entertainer rather than a tennis player. In a match that he should have easily won, he was pushed to five sets. Pouille definitely has talent, but should he have threatened Monfils as much?
Pouille came out focused and convinced that he could win, and he almost did just that as Monfils came out half asleep and uninterested. Is it simply that he needs to create drama to perform at his best? If he cannot perform at his best at a major, then one has to question his motivation. When I watch him play, I am stymied why he lets his need for “flashy” almost matter more than his desire to win. He is an entertainer and loves to perform; however, his tennis skills are enough to keep the attention of his fans.
Then the question remains, when he gets pushed this early in the tournament, how much farther can he go? Although he may have won this match, he ultimately may have lost because of the energy expended to win 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
I’m going to repeat my husband’s observation. On the really easy shots he seems too relaxed and not focused and then he misses them. As u pointed out, he often seems lackadaisical and half asleep. He has so much talent that it is a shame that he cannot seem to leave the performances off the court and play good solid tennis to get himself further along than he has. I too doubt that he will get much further in this tourney.