Having lost his 11 final, out of the 14 he played, Gael Monfils proved once more that he is one to choke whenever being presented with a great opportunity. After struggling on the European clay for the past few weeks, the Frenchman saw his American hard-courts campaign off to an excellent start, reaching the final at the first time of asking, in Washington. The scarcity of top players eased his path through the draw. Nevertheless, it wasn't all a walk in the park for Gael who had to dig deep to defeat the American giant John Isner in the semifinals. It was an enduring fight that ended in the third sets tiebreak with Monfils barely escaping after being match point down.
Following a familiar scenario, he threw everything up by delivering a very poor performance in the final, thus handing his opponent a rather straightforward win. Radek Stepanek was strong from start to finish and never gave Monfils a chance. He won the match 6-4,6-4 and at 32 years old, he became the oldest Washington champion since Connors, aged 35, won in 1988.
Now a constant top 10 figure, the Frenchman has had solid results in the Slams making a semifinal at Roland Garros in 2008 and several quarters. Nevertheless, considering the number of finals he lost, it seems he has developed a recurring problem in collecting ATP titles. The most worrying thing is that many of his rival loses came to lower ranked players (i.e. Monaco in Poertschach 2007, Petzschner in Vienna 2008 or Montanes in Stuttgart 2010). Stepanek is the latest addition to the list, Monfils having a 5-2 head-to-head record prior to the Washington clash.
Unfortunately, this result comes to prove my theory about the French players. Except for Simon, and, to a certain extent, for Tsonga, though he isn't competing that often, the rest are struggling to join the winning circle. Although they are hugely talented and have a great potential, they are left to rue the tones of missed chances.
photos: GETTY IMAGES
Now a constant top 10 figure, the Frenchman has had solid results in the Slams making a semifinal at Roland Garros in 2008 and several quarters. Nevertheless, considering the number of finals he lost, it seems he has developed a recurring problem in collecting ATP titles. The most worrying thing is that many of his rival loses came to lower ranked players (i.e. Monaco in Poertschach 2007, Petzschner in Vienna 2008 or Montanes in Stuttgart 2010). Stepanek is the latest addition to the list, Monfils having a 5-2 head-to-head record prior to the Washington clash.
Unfortunately, this result comes to prove my theory about the French players. Except for Simon, and, to a certain extent, for Tsonga, though he isn't competing that often, the rest are struggling to join the winning circle. Although they are hugely talented and have a great potential, they are left to rue the tones of missed chances.
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| Although he was the huge favorite, Monfils chocked once more, losing the Washington final to Czech Radek Stepanek 4-6,4-6. |
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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