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Gael Monfils: breaking down his 2018 ATP World Tour so far

By Harry Floyd

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 23: Gael Monfils of France returns a shot to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina during the quarter finals of the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 23, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 23: Gael Monfils of France returns a shot to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina during the quarter finals of the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 23, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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Gael Monfils is off to a strong start on the 2018 ATP World Tour. The French tennis veteran is gearing up for a big year.

French tennis veteran Gael Monfils is off to a strong start so far in 2018. Taking a title home at the Qatar Open, he burst back onto the scene in men’s singles tennis. Defeating Andrey Rublev in straight sets, Monfils won the title in Qatar, going 6–2, 6–3.

The win at Qatar breaks his one year drought of being without an ATP singles title. Monfils last tasted glory at the Washington Citi Open in 2016. Now, he has a solid seven singles titles to his resume. 2018 could easily bring a few more his way.

After the win in Qatar, Monfils has put on impressive runs at several tournaments. An unfortunate draw at the Australian Open saw the French tennis star facing Novak Djokovic in his second match. The Serbian and former Melbourne Park six-time champion outlasted Monfils in a heat-fueled epic. Monfils would bounce back well in the next few weeks though.

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Gael Monfils has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of his previous three ATP World Tour events.

The French tennis star would reach the quarterfinals at the Ecuador Open before then going on a fantastic semifinals run at the Argentina Open. Falling to eventual champion Dominic Thiem, the Austrian knocks out Monfils 6-2, 6-1 in Buenos Aires. Following action in Argentina, the French tennis star moved on and made another quarterfinals run at the Rio Open. His fantastic play last week even featured a straight set win over top seeded Marin Cilic.

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Defeating world No. 3 Marin Cilic in Rio, Gael Monfils is proving that he belongs among the best in men’s singles tennis.

Currently, Gael Monfils is the world No. 39 on the ATP World Tour. He will likely rise in the rankings in the coming weeks though. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continue to dominate the sport but they will be challenged throughout the rest of 2018. Monfils is an incredible talent with tons of experience under his belt. Look for him to be an interesting player to watch in any of the upcoming major tournaments.

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