Monfils Shows Winner's Stamina

Gael Monfils probably wouldn’t be my first pick when it comes to winning a final. It’s always a gamble with him, as he is often the front runner and the showdown match should be a walk in the park for him. Nevertheless, his rather poor performance in decisive matches proved that the Frenchman is likely to succumb, independent on the opponent. Recently he lost the Washington final in straight sets to Czech Radek Stepanek, a player against whom he held a favourable head-to-head prior to the dispute.
Hoping to increase his chance of qualifying for the Masters Cup in London, Gael entered the ATP 250 event in Stockholm as the top seed. His campaign got off to a challenging start, as he bumped into teen sensation Bernard Tomic in his first match. Tomic put in quite a fight, making the Frenchman go the extra mile to ensure a 6-4,6-7,6-4 win. He continued to live on the edge, conquering the powerful serve of South-African Kevin Anderson once per set in his way to a 7-5,7-5 victory. The toughest nut to crack came in the semifinals when he managed to dig himself out of deep trouble, recovering from a set and 1-3 down to overcome the stiff resistance of another hopeful teenager, Canadian Milos Raonic.
Playing his second final of 2011, Monfils hoped to beat the odds and grab the trophy. Faith gave him a helping hand in Jarko Nieminen, a player who is also known for failing to deliver in key moments, losing 10 of the 11 finals he contested. To Gael’s fortune, it third time lucky for the Fin, i.e. he was runner-up in 2001 and 2006, as the Frenchman prevailed in a close three setter. This success takes his tally to four ATP crowns. However, it does not impact significantly his O2 prospective, as he still maintains an outside chance of qualifying.
It’s good to see a turn of fortunes for the exuberant Frenchman. Winning a small tournament might not seem like a major accomplishment for someone with his standards, but the feat actually marks a major step for Monfils. Like many of his countrymen, Gael cannot win titles. Last week he proved that backed up by circumstances, he could find a cure to his ‘disease’.

photo: Reuters