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Gael Monfils makes 7th 3rd Round appearance at Wimbledon: Can he go further?

By Keshav Gopalan

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Gael Monfils of France in action against Paolo Lorenzi of Italy during their Men's Singles second round match on day three of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Gael Monfils of France in action against Paolo Lorenzi of Italy during their Men's Singles second round match on day three of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
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Gael Monfils needed 4 sets to dispatch Paolo Lorenzi to reach his 7th 3rd Round Wimbledon appearance. The former World Number 6 had captured the Wimbledon title as a junior but openly admitted last year that he’s not a big fan of the surface.

Regardless, the Frenchman has seen some good form this year at the surface, reaching the semifinals at Antalya and beating Richard Gasquet in straight sets in his first-round match this year. Gasquet, a 2-time semi-finalist at the All England Club, won his first title of 2018 at the Libema Open in S-Hertogenbosch.

Splendid form

The Frenchman played passively in the first set, squandering it to the Italian. Capturing an early break, Lorenzi looked to be on his way to clinching the second set as well. However, Monfils bounced back to win 4 games in a row, shifting the momentum in his favour and running away with the match.

Monfils played a very tactical game, playing defensively in the start, but with the point progression of the point, he played increasingly aggressive.

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Will the same tactic work against Sam Querrey?

Monfils is a great returner, which is hugely beneficial for his next match against the big-serving American Sam Querrey, who beat Federer conqueror Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets in his bid to defend his semi-finalist points from last year. Monfils will have to find a way to strike the balance between defensive play to allow for point construction, but also to avoid giving Querrey the opportunity to finish the point early, as well as managing to play aggressively when needed.

While it seems unlikely, it’ll be a shame if Monfils doesn’t get a chance to reach the 2nd week of Wimbledon. Apart from improving his record at Wimbledon, it’ll also help him improve his rankings. After his injury last year, Monfils has been languishing in the 40s in the rankings. Maybe Wimbledon, despite being unlikely, could be the break he needs.

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