French tennis star Gael Monfils says Rafael Nadal claiming a historic 21st Grand Slam title is a ‘fabulous’ story as he hailed the Spaniard.
On Sunday Nadal came back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open in what was a marathon encounter that lasted more than five hours. The victory has made the former world No.1 the first male player in history to win a 21st major title. Moving him ahead of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer who are both on 20. It is also the first time Nadal has won a title at Melbourne Park since 2009.
Speaking to reporters at the Open Sud de France, 35-year-old Monfils says Nadal’s latest achievement has given him great ‘pleasure’ as he spoke about the two growing up together. On the Tour they have faced each other 16 times with the Frenchman winning just two of those encounters. The most recent of those wins being back in 2012 at the Doha Open.
“I grew up with Nadal and I’m super happy for him,” Monfils said during his pre-tournament press conference in Montpellier. “It’s huge and exceptional, this 21st Grand Slam. I thought it was nice to see him like that.’
“The older we get, the stronger the emotions too. When I see Rafa, I see my friend who is a hit, who is still winning, and that really gives me pleasure. You share that with him, the story is fabulous. I have nothing against Daniil, but for Rafa, it’s just magic.”
Nadal is the first player in the Open Era to have won multiple Grand Slam titles over three different decades. He is also only the fourth man in history to win every major at least twice and the third-oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
The Australian Open was also a successful event for Monfils who reached the quarter-finals for only the second time in his career and the first since 2016. He has now reached the last eight or better at 10 different Grand Slam tournaments. In his latest match he lost in a five-set epic to Matteo Berrettini.
“In many of the matches in my grand slam career, I have never managed to play my ‘A Game’, in quarters or semis,” Monfils reflected. “Sometimes there are opportunities but I don’t take them well. People tend to trivialize the fact of arriving in the quarter-finals of Grand Slam, but when these opportunities arise, you have to seize them. I want to always believe in it and put myself in a better position to reach even higher.”
Monfils have risen four places in the rankings this week to 16th in the world which is his highest position since June. He returns to action this week in Montpellier where he is the third seed behind Roberto Bautista Agut and Alexander Zverev. He is a three-time champion of the tournament.
“I will be 36 this year, I no longer have the same expectations, we are growing up. I got married, I’m fulfilled, I’m happy. Sometimes I’m still labelled as a 20-year-old kid. But I have a new outlook on life,” Monfils concluded about his current objectives on the Tour.
Monfils has won 11 ATP titles and earned more than $20M in prize money so far in his career.
