If there were a ranking of awesome points in it tennis, Gaël Monfils It would be much higher than in the international ATP rankings. He talent and the impudence of the French make him a much more transcendent character than what that current rank 54 in the world. He has enough skill and joy in the game to be the protagonist of many spectacular goals. And to the 37 years the pantera He continues to wander around the circuit, delivering, from time to time, those wonders worthy of summaries on the news.
And it’s not that he plays in minor tournaments. Monfils is starring in the Masters 1000 de Indian Wells, the first tournament of its category of the year, just below the Grand Slam. In the second round he faced an important opponent, the Pole Hubert Hurkaczhe 8th tennis player on the planet. Sometimes, Gaël is on par with the members of the top ten. He was at one time, not at all brief, by the way (he became 6th). And he has some conditions (technique, physical) to return to the elite, beyond the jewels that he gives to the highlights.
But those gems are the most enjoyable. In the meeting with Hurkacz there was a magnificent one, which had everything: palazoswrist shots, amazing saves, lobs, drops, two big Willys and a smash that raised the stadium in the night of the Californian desert. The public was ecstatic. And not even a full set had passed; the outcome was far away.
He took out the polish. Okay, to a T. Almost ace. Gaël returned demanded, easy, for Hubert. But Hurkacz responded in the middle, right where his rival was. Monfils gave him another chance, with a weak shot. But the Slav returned the favor. As if the match were a friendly, and not one of M-1000, the Frenchman threw a slow lob into the background strip. And despite the metro 96 of the Polish, he passed it over. The great Willy with which Hubert survived was close to the base, but served. And then Gaël surprised with a drop, which hit the net and barely passed, with the yellow sphere turned into a top. But his opponent arrived, and he replied with a backhand counterdrop, poisonous. Short, very short, full of spin out of the court.
“Stop what you are doing and look at this.”
It was not an insoluble problem for the panterawho can quickly move his skinny body 1,93 metros and that he chose to push the ball back to the bottom. Polish racing again. And another great Willy. High, so high that it could not be resolved on the network. Difficult but not impossible for Monfils, who stepped back, jumped back and executed a tremendous cross smash in the air that, more than the ball, shocked the spectators: a roar of celebration It sprouted from the tubular stands that surround court 3 of the large palm complex located in a valley. The author could not be less: he reciprocated the ovation by signing the work with a bow.
Except when he was in extreme defense and when he finished the point, the Frenchman seemed to play badminton in that goal. A lot of wrist, little tennis pose, a lot of high shot and a jump shot. Strictly speaking, it is part of what he saw in his career. That of a player who seems to appear on the courts more to have fun than to compete, and who gives the impression that if he wins, it’s better for him, and if he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. Thus, at 37, he continues to strike out and, above all, offer fun gamesin which people are put in a pocket with their unorthodox, surprising and brilliant actions.
With a side shot, the Tanto and the bow
And she continues to travel around the world, even with a little daughter, Skaï, almost a year and a half old. Of course: his wife, the Ukraine Elena Svitolinais also a tennis player, and is also doing well in Indian Wells: in the second stage, she beat the Czech Katerina Siniakova by 6-3, 2-6 y 6-1.
To all this: how did Monfils do in the result against the 8th ranked tennis player? This time he won. And how: 6-0, 6-7 (5-7) y 6-2. It is true that Hurkacz suffered a intense pain in the digestive system in a good part of the meeting. How much it influenced his game is not known; Beyond his obvious gestures of suffering during the breaks, it was not noticeable that he lost performance in the points. But that Gaël played well is undoubtedly. That he seems to be beyond good and evil, that he gives the impression of enjoying something spectacularly won more than a victory, is another matter. The fans enjoy it. In the stands and on the screens, looking at their highlights.
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