By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Gael Monfils isn't a meteorologist.
But the 38-year-old Frenchman can spot an approaching storm.
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Asked to assess his upcoming Rolex Shanghai Masters rematch vs. Carlos Alcaraz, Monfils said the forecast calls for pain.
The elastic Monfils expects total evisceration.
"I think he will beat me. He will crush me a hundred percent, you know," Monfils told the media in Shanghai. "I think I was just lucky, as I said.
"Last time I was very fortunate, and it was not a good match from him, and one of my good match from me."
Monfils outlasted fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1 to set up the Rolex Shanghai Masters rematch vs. Alcaraz.
The last time the pair played at the Cincinnati Open on August 16th, Monfils pulled of a magical upset.
On his second match point, Monfils zapped a serve winner wide, toppling reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati Open third round.
It was Monfils’ first Top 3 victory since he stunned world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the 2022 Indian Wells.
The then 37-year-old French shotmaker made his mark as the second-oldest man to defeat a Top 3-ranked player this century after his friend, 38-year-old Roger Federer, who beat Novak Djokovic in the 2019 ATP Finals.
The 2023 Cincinnati runner-up, Alcaraz owned a 31-1 record when winning the first set this season with his lone loss when up a set coming to Andrey Rublev in the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals last May.
Now, the third-seeded Spaniard is coming off a spirited run to the Beijing championship.
Downplaying his chances to create a second straight upset of the Spanish superstar may be Monfils' way of deflecting pressure, but he says it's a sign of his deep respect for Alcaraz's all-court game.
Monfils says his main mission is to avoid getting "crushed" by the champion he calls "a coming up legend."
"His level is unbelievable. I have also done great myself, but he's, as I say, coming up legend," Monfils said. "So, I guess he will crush me, but as I say, I will do everything to not be crushed too easy, in a way.
"But everything is bonus, it's bonus, you know. It's not like I come up on the court, of course, with the attitude, because I have the experience. But now I have the experience, and I can talk like for real, you know, this kid is something else. So, honestly, it's going to be a 99 percent chance for him, but just to get a percent, you know, so that's why you go. I'm going to enjoy myself, but as a real man I tell you, no, this kid is something else."