"And let it be a lesson for all of you." No one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row! Gaël Monfils will therefore not be able to adopt the maxim made famous by Vitas Gerulaitis, winner of Jimmy Connors after 16 consecutive defeats against the American.
In the semi-final of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai, the Parisian was indeed beaten by his pet peeve, the world No. 1 Novak Djokovic (2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-1).
A DJOKE of a comeback 🃏🃏🃏 @ DjokerNole sees off 3 match points to beat Monfils 2-6 7-6 6-1 & make a sixth final in Dubai! pic.twitter.com/im45teAoB5
- Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 28, 2020The blow, however, passed so close. Imperial in the first set, resistant in the second, the world number 9 led 6-3 double service to follow in the deciding game. Three match balls flown away in Dubai night. Despite seven saved innings, the Habs missed their chance. Definitely.
Djokovic seemed takeable
"It's experience," says Djokovic. It is not uncommon for me to have to save a situation like this. I know what to do in these cases, or play, how to be present and focused. It is not easy but most of the time it works… ”
Too blunt, Monfils could not do anything in the last set, quietly shipped by the man to the 17 Grand Slams. Too bad, because this Djokovic, guilty of errors or tactical mistakes, seemed to be pickable. This setback puts an end to a series of twelve victories and 25 straight sets of the blue n ° 1, punctuated by titles in Montpellier and Rotterdam. In 2019, Monfils will therefore have won 16 games out of 19. With a defeat against Thiem and two against Djokovic…
On Saturday, the world number 1 will face the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, recent winner of the Marseille tournament, in the final. Djokovic is aiming for a fifth title in Dubai.
