When Gael Monfils is in the house—even if it’s Germany’s house in Frankfurt—there’s always the chance that something miraculously awesome will happen. As in flying through the air on a wing and a prayer, like so:
Monfils was as pretty as a Monet on Friday at times, and as simple and sweet as a Satie melody at others, in taking down Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(4) on Friday. Not only did he fly through the air like Superman on this point to nail a backhand, he also constantly pressured the German with deep groundstrokes, superb court coverage and blistering winners, earning a whopping 16 break points in the two hour and 19 minute tussle.
Monfils has not gotten enough credit for his impressive Davis Cup body of work. The Frenchman has now won seven consecutive singles matches, dating back to 2011. He hasn’t lost to anybody in the competition not named Novak Djokovic since 2009.
He may be a trick-shot artist and a carefree player, but when it comes to Davis Cup, Monfils is much more than a one-trick pony. He shines like a dazzling jewel, but he also digs in and delivers wins--big wins.
France leads Germany 2-0 after day 1, and they have not lost to the Germans since 1938.