After a succession of lost finals, the ever-talented Gael Monfils has finally turned the tables in Montpellier, winning the fifth title of his career—his first since Stockholm in 2011.
The Frenchman has been in good form this year, reaching the final act in Doha, as well as the third round at the Australian Open, losing to world No.1, Rafael Nadal, on both occasions. Playing on home soil, Gael got inspired. Booming serves when it mattered most, Monfils battled his way through to the final, defeating dangerous opponents, Polish Lukasz Kubot, Portuguese Joao Sousa, Uzbek Denis Istomin, respectively Finnish Jarkko Nieminen. In the final, Gael faced compatriot and good friend, Richard Gasquet. Considering his 4-16 record in finals, Richard started as favourite. However, as he did in Doha earlier this season, Monfils had other ideas. He relied once again on his powerful serve to close out a straight sets 6-4,6-4 victory over Gasquet, the defending champion.
"This is unbelievable for me," said Monfils. "I had some back problems at the beginning of the week and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play, so to now be with the trophy is pretty crazy. I have been elevating my game match after match and I am extremely proud in the way I played today. I really enjoy playing here in Montpellier. I love the atmosphere there is in this arena."
The win—his second at this tournament after the 2010 crown—marks a good turn in fortunes for the Frenchman who had to battle a career-threatening injury in 2012. Gael is extremely talented, he plays spectacular tennis, he has the weapons, he just needs to undergo that major mental transformation that will see him unleash his huge potential. Take Wawrinka for example. After he started working with Magnus Norman, the Swiss became 'Stan the Man' by beating Nadal to win the Australian Open. If Wawrinka did it, Monfils could do it too. I have confidence that his time to shine will come in the near future. He needs to remain healthy and to work on his mental fragility. #showtrueself Gael!
photo: GETTY IMAGES
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