Gael Monfils was full of praise when speaking about Jack Draper following their second round clash at the French Open on Thursday evening.
Monfils, who was playing in his 18th French Open at the age of 38, managed to take a set off the world No.5 before losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in a late-night showdown on Court Philippe Chatrier. At times, the home favourite produced glimmers of his best tennis and managed to return shots that seemed impossible to do so. However, the hard-hitting Draper was more consistent throughout the match which proved pivotal. Monfils hit fewer winners than the Brit (45-59) but more unforced errors (46-33).
It was only the second time the two players had locked horns on the Tour, following the 2022 Canadian Masters, which Monfils had to retire from due to injury. Speaking about Draper in Paris, the French veteran said he is a big fan of his opponents’ game style, as well as his development over the past few months.
“A great night. A great match. Above all, I was happy, because of course he’s feeling very confident, but I did manage to tease him a little bit,” Monfils commented during his press conference.
“I love this player. I love the way he plays, because he plays a very fast backhand … when Jack was young, he really had the best backhand.
“Maybe he had fewer points. But he was more solid in the backhand, and he’s progressed a lot on his forehand now.
“He’s a left-hander who goes very fast along the line. That’s not common, and he moves really well on the court.”
Coming into Roland Garros, fifth seed Draper had yet to win a main draw match at the tournament. He has already achieved a series of milestones so far this season, including winning his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and breaking into the top 10 for the first time. On the clay, Draper has won 11 out of 14 matches played so far in 2025.
“Where he’s really progressed is that he really returns really well,” Monfils continued.
“He’s far from the baseline, and the ball’s always in at the right speed, the right course, and he’s made a tremendous amount of progress in that regard.
“So a Jack who is feeling very self-confident like that is very difficult to manoeuvre.”
Draper’s next match will be against rising star Joao Fonseca, who is making his French Open debut. Fonseca is yet to drop a set in the tournament after beating Hubert Hurkacz and Paul-Henri Mathieu.
