Gaël Monfils espérait réaliser une grande perf' la veille de ses 37 ans au 2e tour de l'US Open. Malheureusement pour lui, la marche était trop haute jeudi soir. Combattif, le Parisien a pu prendre un set à Andrey Rublev (n°8) mais s'est logiquement incliné 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Le Tricolore a tenté mais a payé ses 13 doubles fautes et 47 fautes directes. Trop pour espérer battre le Russe. Monfils peut tout de même être satisfait de sa tournée américaine, lui qui a retrouvé son tennis et son physique. De quoi avoir des ambitions pour la fin d'année. Il s'est exprimé après le match dans des propos recueillis entre autre par L'Equipe. Le Parisien va rester à New-York pour soutenir Elina Svitolina, encore dans le tableau.
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00:00 "Yeah, the crowd was amazing. I mean, they pushed me and I needed to have this adrenaline.
00:06 As you can see, it helped me quite a lot. I've been a little bit unlucky at the beginning
00:13 of the fourth, but that was amazing. This is something that you can really explain.
00:21 I'm just really thankful. I had a great pleasure to play out there today."
00:28 "It gives you a feel for the rest of the fall with how you're still at a level that's so dangerous
00:33 to anybody on tour. Is that the way you look at it from that perspective?"
00:37 "Yeah, yeah. I mean, today, I don't know the word in English because I will use a very
00:45 simple word, but it's not really that. I've been unlucky with my serve, but it's not unlucky.
00:50 I would have had a better serve. It would be a better match in a way, but it was a good
00:57 match from the back and the level was high. Of course, when such a big weapon is off,
01:05 it's quite tough to really have a chance to beat a top ten player, but I was not far even
01:13 without, so it was quite funny."
01:16 "Someone that had the end of his career today, John Isner, who you know since seeing him
01:22 in DC all the way back."
01:24 "I told him, yeah. First time we meet."
01:27 "Just share your thoughts about Michael Mo and seeing him in the locker room and what
01:33 you said to him."
01:34 "I haven't seen him after his match, but before I saw him and I said, 'Fuck, it was a long
01:39 journey.' And even I saw Jack before the double, I said, 'It was a long journey and a beautiful
01:45 one.' I get to meet good buddies and see him competing in his last game in front of his
01:53 four kids. For him, it's such a big achievement. What can you wish for better? He's a proud
02:02 dad, has an amazing career, he's an amazing player. He's up there. He got the tower record
02:12 with the ace. He is someone and I'm really happy for him."
02:19 "What motivates you to keep going at this point? Do you feel like you've changed your
02:26 workout regimen or your style of play as you've gotten up there in the years?"
02:31 "It's a great creation. Everyday I ask myself why I'm doing this. I love the game. To be
02:38 honest, I love the game. I still have this passion about it. But also to be really honest,
02:47 I think my wife is pushing me quite a lot as well to keep going. I told her I can't
02:55 play forever because she thinks I can't play forever. Not really me, but I think my family
03:02 as well. I think my parents have this tendency to think that I can't play for many, many
03:10 more years. But I feel I still have it. I still have it a little bit in the tank. I
03:19 want to push a little bit. Of course I change a lot of things. My workout, the calendar.
03:26 Even this week was too long, but I will pick more of my tournaments in a way. Unfortunately
03:36 my ranking dropped a lot because of my injury. That's why it was a little bit tougher. I really
03:45 hope to be in shape for big matches at the end of the year. I hope I show people that
03:55 I can still compete to the highest level and have a little help if needed with a World
04:02 Card of course. And then just to grind a little bit more. My time is not over, but soon.
04:11 Did you get the chance to see the video of Alina asking if your match started yet?
04:20 No, I haven't seen it. But I was asking actually.
04:23 And then after she won, she was asked about it again. You were talking about how she's
04:30 continued to push you. She was asking about you during the middle of her match.
04:35 Me, I asked. It was 5-3 for her in the third set. I think I was down the break. I said
04:45 to the umpire, because I know her, "Be discreet." She was like, "Break it."
04:53 But of course, I think both would like to know that everything is going good. And then
05:01 for her, I know she really wants me to play more and to keep winning. So it's something
05:10 that she really desires. And of course, it's really nice, to be honest.
05:16 You're such a great defender and so agile on the court. But do you think about, as you
05:24 get older, being more aggressive and trying to shorten the points? Or do you feel like,
05:29 "Hey, if I can still go off to the side and slice that and then flip, use a different
05:33 spin on this shot and make the guy work, that's still my best plan?"
05:36 You know, it's always this. Of course, I think I'm more aggressive than I was, to be honest.
05:43 You can just see the number of unfair errors that I do. When I was at my prime, it was
05:49 not this. But the thing is, obviously, it's not my game. It's not the way I construct
05:56 the point. I sink the point. So it's really tough to change your game at the end of your
06:01 career. So that's why I still have a strict workout to be able to do that. That's why
06:08 I always say to people, "You see me laugh, you see me very relaxed, but I'm working hard
06:15 to get that speed. That's, you know, a cover on the court is not gifted."
06:22 Last one in English here. With the NBA this season, Victor Miyama coming over. And Jesh
06:28 your thoughts not only on him coming over here, and already over here, and who you think
06:33 is going to win the title this year?
06:35 That's a good question, you know. I'm still waiting where Lillard will go, you know. That's
06:44 a big question. If he goes to Miami, you know, it's going to be tough.
06:49 It's going to be tough, you know.
06:50 So this one, but Victor, of course, you know, going to wake up at night to see him play.
06:56 I can't wait for the preseason games, also, to see how he will adapt himself in the States.
07:02 We don't have so many videos of him, you know, but some pictures, he looks like he gained
07:10 a little bit, so we're all like, "He needs to gain." But still, you know, I can't wait
07:16 for October.
07:17 You're watching with Sky in the morning.
07:18 100 percent.
07:19 Appreciate the guy out.
07:20 - See the guy off.
07:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]