If the Covid threat did not float in the air, the weather in Rome would border on la dolce vita… This week, Gaël Monfils, 34, returns to the circuit for the Roman Masters 1000 in the majestic - but totally deserted setting - from Foro Italico.
Arrived last Wednesday in the Italian capital, the world n ° 9 refined his rise to power by increasing the number of training sessions, in particular with Stan Wawrinka or Rafael Nadal who, too, come back to earth after six months of abstinence.
Before discovering the joys of visio press conferences from the world after ...
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Guess ..... always him .... 😂😂😂😂 @iamgaelmonfils #italianopen
A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal) on Sep 12, 2020 at 9:11 am PDT
"This is my first and I want to take a photo of the screen where I just see a name marked, smiles the Parisian, who will face the Australian De Minaur (quarter-finalist in New York) or a qualifier for his entry into the running.
Otherwise, I spent a lot of hours on the court to find the rhythm.
It's been a while since I played a real match
(Editor's note: since a semi-final in Dubai against Djokovic at the end of February),
I have no benchmarks.
I need to play, to match!
"
Her fetish tournament
The Habs do not regret having overlooked the American tour and its breakthrough bubble, which saw compatriots end up cloistered in their hotel rooms after the positive control of Benoît Paire.
“At the start, it's a choice of schedule,” he explains.
We found it hard with my team to put everything together.
In the end, those who play well at the US Open don't come here.
Afterwards, it was very complicated for my friends, I was sad for them… ”
Two weeks before the start of Roland-Garros, his favorite tournament, where he reached the semi-finals in 2008, Monfils refuses to be disturbed by health constraints or the fear of contracting the coronavirus.
Putting the work in on the dirt with @Gael_Monfils! 🤜🏻🤛🏿🎾💪🏻😅☀️ #practice #friends #hardwork #trusttheprocess pic.twitter.com/hUxdtYWm34
- Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 4, 2020
“I try to focus on the main thing, my game, he says.
What matters is performance, you have to stay focused on it.
I have no specific information, I am told what you write.
In the end, you do what you are told to do!
But it will inevitably be a different Roland Garros, with a few spectators, a new field, it will play in the evening, the dates have changed… And everyone is wondering how the weather will be.
"
Masters objective
For him, all these new parameters should not upset the established order.
"I have the impression that the favorites were present in the United States," he observes.
In Paris the favorites, finally the favorite (
Editor's note: Nadal, twelve times winner
) will also be present.
"
During confinement, Monfils began a career as a streamer-host on the Switch platform.
He intends to continue in this direction despite the return to tennis business, where his ambition is to appear in the roller coaster of the Masters at the end of the season.
He has also entered the two ATP 250 competitions that will take place in Cologne (Germany) in the wake of Roland-Garros.
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“It's a way of getting away from it all,” he breathes.
I have even more time in my room to share with the fans.
I will try to bring the tour from the inside to life through my perception or that of Elina
(Editor's note: Svitolina, her partner)
if she wants to share too.
If friends have a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, they can come and talk in one of my content.
It's all cool… ”
When ur girl doesn't feel good on Monday🤪
(⚠️ don't try this at home😅) #MondayMood pic.twitter.com/jxKZ3tDjIn
- Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils) August 17, 2020
