Returning to competition after months of nursing injuries, Gaël Monfils qualified for the second round of the US Open on Tuesday by defeating the Japanese Taro Daniel (95th and from qualifying) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). The next step will be much higher since the Parisian, who will celebrate his 37th birthday on September 1, will find the Russian Andrey Rublev (8th) on his way.
Facing Daniel, Monfils struggled to get going, looking listless in the first set. Then he woke up, made fewer mistakes and took the game into his own hands. “I felt heavier, the balls were heavier, slower. I had to adapt. I turned very little around my forehand, instead I played a lot of backhands, ”he analyzed.
The wrist, again and again the wrist
“In addition, at the start he was serving extremely well and that made me feel a bit tense too. Fortunately, he began to serve much less well thereafter and I got into my game. I served well when needed and then I was able to find the trajectories I wanted, ”he added.
In the end, he will have placed 23 aces, managed 68 winning moves and committed 56 unforced errors (10 winning moves for 13 unforced errors in the first set). A fall, however, almost called everything into question: Monfils fell on the wrist that had kept him out of competition several weeks after Roland-Garros. “Falling on the wrist is the only thing I mustn’t do… but I couldn’t help it. I think the strap helped me a lot. I hope it will be fine tomorrow, ”he commented, acknowledging having hurt himself.
Monf is back
Monfils had not won a match at Flushing Meadows since his second round in 2021. Away from the circuit for months to treat a foot injury that occurred in Canada last summer, the Parisian attempted a comeback in the spring ahead of his public at Roland-Garros. But after dismissing the Argentinian Sebastian Baez after an epic fight in five sets, he forfeited as the new terror of the circuit, the Dane Holger Rune, stood in front of him. New wrist injury and new convalescence of several weeks.
Since the beginning of the American tour on hard however, Monfils finds its superb. He thus reached the round of 16 in Washington, the quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 in Toronto and again the 8th at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati with three victories against players from the World Top 15 (Tsitsipas, Norrie and De Minaur).