That’s why Gael Monfils’ press conference after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open on Saturday (AEST) was so engaging.
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The outcome was only briefly in the balance, though.
Djokovic will play either Japan’s Kei Nishikori or Swiss star Stan Wawrinka in the final.
In the fourth, both men tried to buy time between points on a steamy day with the temperature reaching 90 degrees and humidity topping 50 percent.
“Well, it was a odd match, ” said Djokovic, in the understatement of the tournament, “as it always is, I guess, when you play Gael, who is very unpredictable player”.
Somehow, the greatest player in the world was reduced to being the party of the other part in this U.S. Open men’s semifinal Friday afternoon in the steam bath of Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I do sincerely hope all you guys enjoyed our battle today”. “But at the end I’m not playing for those people”, Monfils continued when asked about McEnroe’s comments.
But perhaps the worst point of the match was played out not on the court but on ESPN as commentator and tennis legend John McEnroe called the black player “unprofessional” at various points during the commentary.
Monfils casually stood upright at the baseline. He forced Djokovic to hit more shots, and when the Serbian rushed the net, Monfils would try for hard passing shots, seemingly flipping a switch from disengaged to focused. Djokovic just had to ensure that the rally went on for more than 5/6 strokes, and Monfils would self-destruct.
“So, yeah, definitely I try to get in his head, try to create something new for him, to see, and that was it”. An upset looked unlikely yet likely considering how consistent Monfils had been, and the fact that Djokovic had not had enough game time to be at his prolific best.
“That is when I put my game to be aggressive”.
Djokovic beat 10th seed Gael Monfils 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2 in NY, with the Frenchman adopting unusual tactics to try and counter the world number one.
Wawrinka has spent almost twice as long on court as Djokovic has so far: a little under 18 hours vs. a little under 9 hours.
In the second set, Monfils lost five consecutive games, and limped afterward.
He jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead over Monfils, who appeared either overwhelmed or underprepared. All over but the shouting, right? Nope. In a blink, Monfils came to life. Djokovic had the trainer rub down his left shoulder at that point and then appeared to wince in pain at times. However, after a couple of timely withdrawals/retirements, Djokovic was allowed to get some much-needed rest, recuperate and just like that breeze into the business end of the tournament. “So I don’t have any concerns”.
In the late going, Monfils was leaning on his racket between points.
He believes he was right to adapt his tactics and that it illustrated just what a competitive player he remains despite many in the sport viewing him as an unfulfilled talent. Djokovic’s shirt was soaked with sweat and he certainly showed signs of distress.
Wawrinka won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open.
The No. 3 seed Wawrinka has come back after dropping the opening set of his semifinal against No. 6 Kei Nishikori 6-4 on Friday night, taking the next two 7-5, 6-4 by breaking in the last game of each of those sets.
The 30-year-old Frenchman was into the semifinals of a major for the second time in his career, and first since the 2008 French Open. He moves passed Rafael Nadal and into second place for most final appearances in the open era.
The later the round, the better he seems to play. He will be competing in his seventh Grand Slam final in two years.
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It looked lightweight but carried a mighty punch as the Frenchman saved four set points in the sixth and seventh games of the match.
