I am just going to keep the positive side: Monfils
dubai — Despite losing an engrossing battle to Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas, Gael Monfils said he would draw inspiration from his memorable run to the Dubai semifinals.
The maverick Frenchman, famous for hitting stunning crosscourt winners from the most impossible angles, brought all his variations onto the Dubai Centre Court only to hit an unbreachable wall named Tsitsipas in his 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 6-7 (4/7) defeat on Friday evening.
The 20-year-old Greek sensation survived a barrage of vicious shots from the 32-year-old Monfils with a combination of steely resolve and impressive net-play in the nerve-wrecking third set.
“Well, there’s a winner and a loser. I’m the loser today (Friday). He’s the winner. That’s the big difference,” said Monfils after his semifinal defeat at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“In term of the game, I guess I had some opportunities. I couldn’t make them great today. I think I was up a break, and I didn’t serve that good while starting the second set. It was a big confirmation when he broke me back..
“Then I think I got those opportunities in the third set. I think the forehand that I missed at the breakpoint, I could have made it. I had to make it. I had to pick the target better,” said Monfils, referring to the four break points he failed to capitalize on in the eighth game of the third set.
“But he (Tsitsipas) is a great player. He just broke into the top 10. He’s one of the best players on the tour.”
Coming into the Dubai tournament on the back his eighth career title in Rotterdam, the 2016 US Open semifinalist produced some of his best tennis here as he knocked the third seed Marin Cilic out with an incredible first round win. “I am just going to keep the positive side,” he said after the semifinal.
“Some negative side is a few points, a few choice. I need to be better, that’s it. I need to be better to win those big matches. That’s what I’m doing so far. But I have a few wins here. I like to keep working, keep believing in what we are doing with the team.”