Gael Monfils has continued his stunning efforts of late into the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is now into round two.
Monfils was named the fastest player on tour by Juan Martin del Potro, having rapidly moved across the courts once upon a time.
But Monfils is still going strong even with a decline in speed, having just beaten Fabian Marozsan in round one of the latest ATP Masters 1000 event.
Monfils thinks tennis will become faster in the future, with the 38-year-old now in the latter stages of his career.
The Frenchman now takes on Andrey Rublev in round two of the Monte-Carlo Masters, who is the seventh seed.
Gael Monfils shocked by how well he played in Monte-Carlo Masters opener
First, however, he was tasked with looking back on his opener in his winning press conference, where Monfils was asked how he feels and if he is happy to have started the tournament well.
“I really didn’t expect to play as well as I did today,” he said. “My contract is fulfilled. I won a match. I wanted to win more matches this year. Well, now I won one match out of one, so I think it’s time for me to stop.
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“I did something I haven’t been able to do for a long time, like moving around well, hitting well on both sides, and I served well. This helped me. I didn’t panic after losing the first set, either.
“He was a bit lucky on some points, breakpoints, or 30-All, he was able to pull it out, but surprisingly I felt really good during the whole match.”
Gael Monfils felt ‘more comfortable’ after breaking Fabian Marozsan
Monfils was involved in a real battle in Monaco, but he fought hard to emerge victorious on the clay courts.
After one hour and 42 minutes of action, the veteran came from behind to beat the 25-year-old qualifier 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Asked where he thought the turning point in the match was, with his break in the second set or the third set presented as options, he replied: “It’s a good question. I don’t really know.
“Honestly, I don’t really know. I can’t talk about a turning point, but when I broke him, I felt more comfortable, of course.
“But as soon as the second set, I really felt good, and I was more confident in my shots and tactics. I can’t tell at what moment he let go, but when I had this double break, I felt in control.”
Gael Monfils leaves Fabian Marozsan ‘mentally shocked’ after Monte Carlo rally
As always, the match featured a handful of iconic moments from the enigmatic Frenchman, who has constantly wowed crowds over the years.
His latest clash was no different, with one rally won by the legend particularly rousing the Monte-Carlo Masters fans.
Discussing breaking his opponent and making eight points in a row after the stunning rally, Monfils said: “These points are always strange, because you have to play the next one immediately. He had to serve immediately after, and he made a double fault after missing the first serve.
“So I tried to play in different places then. I tried to slow down the pace to make him play more. So the situation is a bit biased.
“The last point, he didn’t really play it. I tried to put pressure on him after that, and I believe for him it was more a matter of mental shock after that rally. I was quite lucky on a very deep return, also, and I think he got annoyed more than anything else.”
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