ATP Stockholm – Titled for the 12th time in his career, Gaël Monfils finds little of his level and his ambitions

Even if it only appears in the 250 category, the Open does not lack assets, as evidenced by its field this week and its prize list. As the end of his career approaches, Monfils will not shy away from what he achieved in Sweden. Because this is not commonplace at his age, after a 2h35 final. And it’s a bit of a result of logic.

“What’s funny is that this is my 12th title, and it’s the second here twelve years later. I don’t usually pay too much attention to numbers, but I guess 12 is my lucky number. (…) I don’t know how I managed to save the three break points at 5-5 (in the 2nd set). I kept fighting and it worked“, reacted after his coronation, the one who is back in the Top 100 at the ATP.

Winner for the 12th time of an ATP tournament, in 34 finals, Monfils shifted gears this week after laying a solid foundation during the North American tour where he regained his sensations after his left wrist injury contracted on the 1st tour of Roland-Garros, during his epic victory against Sebastian Baez.

Across the Atlantic, La Monf’ played a quarter-final in Toronto (released by Jannik Sinner), with a success against Stefanos Tsitsipas, before beating Cameron Norrie and Alex De Minaur in Cincinnati. He then came up against Novak Djokovic. At the US Open, he stumbled upon another client, Andrey Rublev. After an appearance at the Laver Cup, he chose to stay in Europe to prepare for the end of the season, he who loves hard indoor (8 titles out of the 12 won on the surface).

There is a decisive man behind the return to form of Gaël Monfils: the Swede Mikael Tillström. The two men had already collaborated from October 2015 to June 2018 and this allowed the Frenchman to replay a Grand Slam semi-final at the 2016 US Open, then to play a Masters Cup for the first time in London a few weeks later. late. Since May, they decided to get back together, at the initiative of Monfils.

“I would like to thank Mikael Tillström. I called him before Roland-Garros. I told him: ‘Mikael, I still need your help.’ He said to me: ‘Really?’ I was like: ‘Yes!’ Two days later, he called me back and said: ‘I saw your match in Aix-en-Provence (against Andy Murray) and it was horrible, so tomorrow we train together!‘”

What followed was just work and work on the side of the Musketeer to return to his best level after his injury suffered in Paris. “Since then, we have worked hard, we are very disciplined“, he insisted during his post-victory speech.

Will Gaël Monfils continue to win titles? Regarding the level of tennis seen this week, the answer seems obvious: it’s yes, even if it only concerns less prestigious tournaments (ATP 500 or 250). Mentally liberated after his visit to the United States, the Frenchman promised his team at his side – including his new physical trainer who has been following him since Roland-Garros – that this was not the last trophy he would win with them. . Looking forward to the sequel. Let it be said: Monfils is not yet retired.