Archive for: gael monfils

Gael Monfils and Jo Wilfried Tsonga Dance

Gael Monfils and Jo Wilfried Tsonga Dance. Well I think this is dancing?? im not exactly too sure.

BNP Paribas Masters – Day 3

For those of you that enjoy a good light show and funky music then Bercy is the place for you. This year a robot introduces the players whilst the court is lit up with lights to the beat of the music. I’ll take a video later to show you all.

I started my day on Centre Court to watch Youzhny against Kohlschreiber. I was half expecting a Youzhny special, i.e. meltdown but alas all I got was a defeat. At least he managed to avoid a bagel in the 2nd set but he started to play a little too late to change the match around.

I went to the Media Centre to see what time Philipp was having his press conference but the wait was too long. I watched the first 3 games of Cilic v Verdasco on the TV screen before going back to my seat. It looked like Nando was going to carry on where Youzhny had left off, handing a break to Cilic with a DF. Muller v Anderson was about to start on Court 1 so I moved over there. Muller was having a bad start and was quickly 0-3. Court hopped once again as, checking the score on my phone, I saw that Nando was playing a bit better; anyone would think he didn’t want to play well in front of me. But play well he did and so confident was I in him wrapping up at the match whilst 3-0 up in the 3rd I once again made my way to the Press Bar to grab myself a croissant, seriously, they do taste better when they are free!

Back to Centre court for Raonic v Benneteau. As will previous occasions whenever a French player is on Centre court you are guaranteed someone will bring the bongos J It all adds to the unique atmosphere that is Bercy. On my way to my seat for this match I had found out the time of Nando’s press conference, 16.15 so I made am mental note to go to that. Until then I stayed and watched young Milos take the 1st set.

Off to Nando’s presser I went and whilst this time I asked no questions it was still an experience to be there. He was asked about the Davis Cup, why he visited California recently (a close friend had undergone heart surgery so he stayed there for 10 days), and his opinion on the court speed “ Well I think that it’s slower than last year is what I can say, but also because last year was so fast. It’s not like it’s unbelievable slow, it’s just indoor hardcourt”.

After the press conference I made my way to Court 1 for Mayer v Stepanek (past Gillou Simon who was eating a choc chip cookie. Don’t say I don’t give you the backstage gossip J). I will admit to being rather disappointed with Radek’s kit, I wanted something a little more colourful. Unfortunately his tennis matched his kit and he lost in straight sets. Stayed on Court 1 to catch Bellucci v Bogomolov Jr. My, the American can’t half sweat, we was only 6 games in and his shirt looked like he had taken a shower in it. By this time I had once again checked my phone and Milos had lost in 3 sets. To console myself I quickly left the arena to pop across the road for the best panini’s in the world. After my food and a diet coke I made my way back for the night session.

As I sat down Monfils was just finishing up his practice session. As earlier promised I recorded the light & music show before the Mahut v Ferrero match that I will upload to my Youtube account. This match was a privilege to watch. Net play, drop shots, volleys, passing shots and rallies that ended with a winner. It was an absolute joy to watch. A shame that Ferrero could not take the match to a deciding set but you cannot have everything.

As I wanted to try and get an early night I decided to go to the Media Centre and start writing up this report whilst waiting for Mahut’s press conference. I got most of it written before he arrived at 21.25. I have no idea what was said as it was all in French, though I did pick up a translated copy of the press conference on my way out. Here are a few quotes:

Q – Are you playing your best tennis?
A – Maybe. I’m playing very good tennis, but also, I’m able to play quite relaxed on the court.

Q – Next match is another Spaniard, Ferrer
A – I played him when we were younger because we are the same age. In team competitions we played each other very often, but at this level I have never met him on the court.

After the press conference it was time for a few more games of tennis and I joined the Tursunov v Mannarino match right at the end of the 1st set, which Mannarino won 6-2. I stayed for the first 3 games of the 2nd set then called it a day.

*PHOTOS ADDED – http://www.flickr.com/photos/clare2904/

Gael Monfils Trick Shot Against Juan Carlos Ferrero

Here is the trick shot from Gael Monfils earlier in the US Open 2011 against Juan Carlos Ferrero.

2011 US Open Day 1 Preview and Predictions

Mardy Fish v. Tobias Kamke- Enjoying by far the best year of his career, Mardy Fish will be looking to make a deep run in the 2011 US Open.   In the first round he will be facing Tobias Kamke from Germany.  Kamke will be no light task as the speedy Germany possesses an all around game with no overwhelming weaknesses.  Kamke generates a ton of racket speed off both sides and will be looking to dictate play from the baseline by taking the ball early when given the opportunity.   With this being said, Fish will undoubtedly have to work but should be able to make it through unscathed.

Prediction:Fish in 3

Roger Federer v. Santiago Giraldo- This first round match is about as lopsided as it gets.  Giraldo is a defensive baseliner from Colombia who does not have any weapons to threaten Federer and really prefers the Clay courts to which his style of play is much better suited.  Federer should be able to use this match to build form for the rest of the tournament.  I don’t see any possible way for Federer to lose this match barring an injury.

Prediction: Federer in 3

Ryan Harrison v. Marin Cilic- This is an extremely intriguing matchup.   You have the young  American upstart in Ryan Harrison looking to breakthrough in a major for the first time and accelerate his already inclining career path.  In contrast, Marin Cilic is attempting to regain the form that cemented his spot in the top 10 and spurred him to an Australian Open semifinal in 2010.  Cilic has not won a grand slam match this season and this match very well could lead to his completion of a “grand slam”- losing in the first round of all four majors.  Look for Harrison to relentlessly attack the Cilic forehand as it contains a lot of wrist action and is prone to breaking down.   Overall, I think Harrison plays a more reliable, gutsy, confidence driven game and at this moment is in a better spot in his career despite being ranked lower.

Prediction: Harrison in 4

Gael Monfils v. Grigor Dimitrov- This is an absolutely fantastic first round match between quite possibly the future of men’s tennis in Dimitrov and arguably the most electrifying player on tour in Monfils.  Dimitrov is surely going to give Monfils everything he can handle and really make him work hard to earn his passage through to the 2nd round.   This match will really be predicated on whether the passive or aggressive Monfils shows up.  If Monfils chooses to camp back 2 miles behind the baseline and retrieve with his exceptional defensive abilities, he really is not setting himself up with the best chance to win.  Dimitrov has incredible shot making ability and if he is on, playing defensive is simply not going to work out for Monfils.  If Monfils chooses to play more offensively, this could be a slugfest.  I expect Monfils will draw substantial confidence from his performance against Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati and in the end find a suitable balance between offense and defense that will be too much for Dimitrov to counter.

Prediction: Monfils in 4

Ivo Karlovic v. Fernando Gonzalez- Many people might be surprised to find out that Fernando Gonzalez in fact still does play tennis being he has only played 6 tour level matches this season.  Plagued by a knee injury in the first half of 2011, Gonzo faces a formidable challenge in the big serving Croatian.  I really see this match as one that is going to be very difficult for Gonzalez to win.  Only having played one hard court match this summer, Gonzo is lacking match play and there is no worse player to try to develop rhythm against than Karlovic.

Prediction: Karlovic in 4 (expect a few tiebreakers)

Kohlschreiber v. Stepanek-  Stepanek has enjoyed greater success on the American hard courts than Kohlschreiber this summer and leads their head to head 4-1.  Kohlschreiber is a personal favorite of mine but unfortunately the craft and finesse of Stepanek will prove too much for the German.

Prediction: Stepanek in 4 tight sets

Other Matches:

Malisse v. Granollers- Toss up match.  Neither player has won a hard court match this summer and Granollers has not even played in a hard court tournament.  This is a tough call, but I am going to say the X-man in five unentertaining sets.

Prediction: Malisse in 5

Monaco v. Seppi- This could be a long, drawn out match as both of these guys prefer to grind it out from the baseline.  Monaco  definitely has a greater ability to turn defense into offense and pull the trigger.

Prediction: Monaco in 5

Rounding off Day 1…

Montanes over Kukushkin in 5, Ferrero over Andujar in 3, Dolgpolov over Gil in 3, Petzschner over Ramos in 3, Fognini over Zeballos in 5, Llodra over Hanescu in 3, Tipsarevic over Gensse in 3,  Nishikori over Cipolla in 3, Gasquet over Stakhovsky in 3, Haas over Dasnieres De Veigy in 5, Troicki over Falla in 4, Berdych of Jouan in 3, Anderson over Soeda in 3

Upsets: Sela over Bellucci in 4, Jaziri over De Bakker in 5

Novak Djokovic Kills Gael Monfils in Rogers Cup

Novak Djokovic has breezed into the Rogers Cup semifinals after defeating Gael Monfile 6-2 6-1.

“On this level, it’s never easy, said Djokovic. You still have to make your points and you still have to make all those winners that I have done tonight.”

“I mean, I have played the best match of the tournament, no doubt.  Everything was going well.  I had a difficult game on 2.‑All to hold my serve.  After that, when I made the first break, it was incredible.  9, 10 games in a row.”

“I’m happy to see my game is progressing each day.”

Radek Stepanek: Solid Results to Win the ATP Washington Tournament

Radek Stepanek has performed amazingly well and has found a way to win the ATP Tour title in Washington.

Stepanek was a little lucky as Mardy Fish had to withdraw from the tournament, but he had a string of very solid wins, including the final where he beat Gael Monfils 6-4 6-4 to take the title.

This is Stepanek’s fifth title and his first ATP 500 win.  At 32, he is the oldest player in the top 100.

Roger Rasheed and Gael Monfils Go Their Separate Ways

Gael Monfils has announced that he has split with his coach Roger Rasheed. The pair have been working together since 2008, but it hasn’t yielded the right results for Monfils.

“We decided to stop our collaboration by mutual agreement,” said Monfils after helping France into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup with a comfortable victory over Germany.

“We had reached the end of a great story. I owe him a lot, I learned a lot with him.

“It went very well. We talked, we had a good discussion. We’re still very good friends.”

French Open Day 10 Round Up

Mens Singles:

Roger Federer played some amazing tennis yet again. Federer defeated Gael Monfils in straight sets 6-4 6-3 7-6. It is really seeming like it will be a three horse race between Federer, Djokovic and Nadal.

In a late fourth round match Andy Murray was two sets to love down and 5-2 down in the final set, to come back and win 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5 over Viktor Troicki. Murray still has the ankle injury that he sustained in the third round and it doesnt seem like it is going away.

Womens Singles:

Marion Bartoli continued her amazing run in front of her home fans with a straight sets win over Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 6-4. The crowd were behind her and she played some of the best tennis of her life.

In the other quarterfinal Francesca Schiavone defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three though sets 1-6 7-5 7-5. Schiavone just seems to love the clay in Paris and it looks like she the favourite for the title yet again.

French Open Day 9 Round Up

Mens Singles:

Rafael Nadal is playing some great tennis when it matters. Nadal swept aside Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets 7-5 6-3 6-3. Additionally, Robin Soderling performed very well today and knocked out Gilles Simon in straight sets 6-2 6-3 7-6. That now setups a Soderling and Nadal quarterfinal! Im really looking forward to seeing if Soderling can knock out Nadal yet again.

In the other two match Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Alejandro Falla 4-6 6-2 1-6 7-6 6-2, while Gael Monfils defeated David Ferrer 6-4 2-6 7-5 1-6 8-6.

Womens Singles:

Sharapova seems to be continuing her run with a 7-6 7-5 win over Agnieszka Radwanska. There were other strong results from Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic and Na Li.

Its amazing to see Na Li performing amazingly well after a layoff from tennis.

Gael Monfils – Point of the Year

I just came across this video of a point in the Davis Cup between France and Croatia. Is this the point of the year? Well it has to be close. Im sure all the French players will say it is!

Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic Star in Martin Solveig’s New Music Video “Hello”

First we had Rafael Nadal in a Shakira video and now we have Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic guest starring in French electro artist Martin Solveig’s new music video “Hello”. The track is part of his forthcoming album, Smash.

This video, shot mainly in Court Philippe Chatrier involves both Monfils and Djokovic putting their acting chops to work.

Gael Monfils Signs with KSwiss: Goodbye Nike

Gaël Monfils of France is now an official KSwiss athlete. He’s traded the single swoosh for five stripes. “I am thrilled to join such an iconic tennis brand with a great reputation for athlete collaboration,” said Monfils. “I am looking forward to working with KSwiss on developing my own line of clothes to launch next year and growing our relationship in the years to come.”

Mens and Womens French Open 2009 Quarterfinal Draws

Robin Soderling (23) vs Nikolay Davydenko (10) = This is going to be a great match. Robin Soderling beat four time reigning champion Rafael Nadal in four sets in the previous round and Davydenko defeated Fernando Verdasco in straight sets. I think Robin will be still on a high from his last victory, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going. This could be a five set match with Soderling taking the first few sets then Davydenko coming back.

Andy Murray (3) vs Fernando Gonzalez (12) = Andy and Fernando have been in great for in this tournament so far and they both didnt lose a set in their fourth round matches. Murray has had quite an easy draw so far and I think Gonzalez might actually cause a big upset in this match.

Juan Martin Del Potro (5) vs Tommy Robredo (16) = Juan Martin Del Potro has been playing some great tennis and beating good opponents so far in the tournament. However, in this match he will coming up against Tommy Robredo who has a huge amount of experience on the clay courts of Roland Garros. I can see Robredo winning this match in a long five set match.

Gael Monfils (11) vs Roger Federer (2) = This is another exciting match with Roger on the back of coming from two sets to love down to win in five, while Monfils played one of his greatest matches at the French Open defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. I think this will be Rogers match to lose.

Dinara Safina (1) vs Victoria Azarenka (9) = Azarenka had a great previous match disposing of the defending champion Ana Ivanovic in straight sets. While Safina hasn’t put a foot wrong and has been demolishing her opponents. I think the first set is going to be very tight and Azarenka really needs to win it, cause I cant see her coming back in three sets.

Dominika Cibulkova (20) vs Maria Sharapova = This is going to be a very interesting match, Maria hasnt been in the greatest of form but she has been grinding out wins. Cibulkova has been playing some good tennis, but hasnt really played a major name at this years French Open. I can see Maria winning in another three set match.

Sorana Cirstea vs Samantha Stosur (30) = Cirstea has had a great tournament so far, especially with her win in the last match at 9-7 in the third set over Jelena Jankovic. Stosur has been going through the draw very quietly. Clay is not Stosurs best surface but she has a great kick serve for a female player and I can see her demolishing Cirstea in straight sets.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (7) vs Serena Williams (2) = The girls have a great rivalry and have played some great matches over the years. I think Serena is in great form and the quick clay surface this year is suiting her game and I cant really see Kuznetsova getting into the match from the beginning.

Mickey Mouse Plays Tennis With Gael Monfils and Stansilas Wawrinka

Visitors to Disneyland Paris today had a big surprise when they saw Mickey Mouse playing a game of doubles with invited children against professional tennis players Gael Monfils and Stansilas Wawrinka.

The court itself was a little short and had quasi-official dimensions, but that didn’t matter when the children had such a great event.

Disneyland Paris invited 200 children from the French “Fête le Mur” association, founded by Yannick Noah, to participate in this more than unusual exchange.

The Fête le Mur association is set up in the heart of 25 under-privileged Urban Zones, allows the children of those neighborhoods to practice tennis, to train and perfect themselves, and some of them to later find a professional opening.

Gael Monfils and His Thoughts on the EXO3 from Prince

We wanted to share a great new :30 sec video featuring world #10 ranked tennis player Gael Monfils. The twenty-three year-old Frenchman recently sat down to discuss his love for the game and reasons for making the switch to the EXO3 Rebel 95 racquet – one of the models in Prince’s new EXO3 line.

Daniela Hantuchova Confirms For Brisbane International

Slovakian glamour girl, Daniela Hantuchova, is the latest to confirm her attendance at the Brisbane International in January.

The world number 19 was a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2008 and broke into the top 10 when she reached number 5 in August 2002.

She will be joined by French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic and reigning Australian Women’s Hardcourt Champion Na Li in the women’s draw.

The men’s draw boasts Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marcos Baghdatis, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Mardy Fish with the player cut off date, for the tournament ,on the 21 November.

Daniela Hantuchova said “I am really excited about returning to Australia and playing a strong field in the lead up to the Grand Slam.

“I took home some really nice memories last year. It was something very special for me.

“With my preparation this year and the quality field at the Brisbane International, I will be even more ready.

“I love Australia and have played in tournaments there since 2001. I am looking forward to playing in this new event and challenging some high quality players in the lead up to the Australian Open.”

Gael Monfils Seems To Be Having Issues With Nike

It has been reported that Gael Monfils is having some sponsorship problems. The flaboyant Frenchman is said to be having problems with his sponsor Nike. It has been noticed that Monfils has been wearing Nike clothing from several years ago.

Monfils signed a four year deal with Nike in 2005 for $2 million guaranteed ($500,000 annually). Thus, is he wearing the old clothes to possibly make a statement and get a new contract, or did he just not have any new Nike clothes washed?

Philipp Petzschner Completes Great Tournament in Vienna defeating Gael Monfils in Final

German qualifier and world No. 125 Philipp Petzschner completed a remarkable week’s tennis on Sunday when he beat French eighth seed Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4 in the BA Tennis Trophy final.