Under the Melbourne sun, Gaël Monfils has already opened the umbrella… “Losing in the first round doesn't matter”, explains the world No. 11, who nevertheless represents the main - not to say the only - tricolor hope performance in Australia after a strong draw for the Blues.
The Parisian, opposed in the first round to the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori (86th) on the night from Sunday to Monday, does not sweat confidence.
Change of gesture at the service
After losing his first official match of the season against the Italian Berrettini (6-4, 6-2) in the ATP Cup, the captain of the Blues preferred to ignore a shock against Dominic Thiem to repeat his ranges in training.
Faced with a change of score with the arrival at his side of the Austrian duo Bresnik / Ruckelshausen, the Frenchman, 34, is struggling to keep up with the tempo.
During his only performance, he multiplied the false notes by forcing his blows too much.
“They want me to hit hard,” he summed up.
The objective is clearly to be aggressive but to make fewer mistakes… ”Monfils also took advantage of the work of the offseason in Tenerife or Dubai to change his gesture of service.
Work, always work.
This is the more methodical than melodic line of Bresnik, the man who shaped Dominic Thiem for 17 years ...
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"What is done best", blows the Monf '.
“But be careful not to explode!
34 years old is not 18 or 22, the body does not react in the same way, confided in our columns Henri Leconte, who worked with the Austrian in the 1980s.
“Gaël is crystal, fantastic athleticism, exceptional agility, one of those who move the best.
The only thing that scares me is that he farts.
That Günter pushes him to his limits and that the body does not follow… ”It remains to be seen how the trio will play together.
"Some observers see him as a puppet ..."
“Humanly, Gaël is a very pleasant person,” said Bresnik, whose skills are recognized, daily Heute.
You will never be bored with it.
In terms of sport, he is the best athlete on the tennis circuit.
Some observers see him as a puppet, but Gaël does not consider himself a clown, there to put on the show.
Otherwise, he would not have been 6th in the world.
He's a worker.
But there are many question marks as to whether it will be right for us… ”
At a time when his fellow Musketeers are gently approaching the exit of the stage, Monfils, who has already made waltz a dozen coaches, still declaims ambitions beyond a promising career of host-player on a flat - streaming form.
Realism or self-talk?
In any case, the hexagonal n ° 1, beaten in the round of 16 by Thiem last year, will not have the pressure of the result in Melbourne.
The first Grand Slam of the season will indeed lead to no hiccups in the standings, frozen until March 1 ...