The Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils match had a huge amount of hype since both the players are past 35 and are in good form with fitness also on their side. The unbeaten record played a part in it, so much so that after the match, Djokovic signed a memorabilia with a special message for Monfils. That message has now gone viral on social media, with fans lauding the World No.2’s sense of humor.
Djokovic is on the charge at the Cincinnati Open, defeating French veteran Gael Monfils in the Round of 16 in straight sets. With the win, Djokovic created an all-time record, winning on 19 out of 19 occasions against a player in the men’s singles category. Earlier, Rafael Nadal was renowned for having an 18-0 record in 18 matches against another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet.
Novak Djokovic sees the funny side of 19-0 record against Gael Monfils
Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils go back a long way since they both made their first steps into the ATP Tour in the mid-2000s. In their earlier days, the duo did not get along with each other that well. Monfils once admitted that it was frustrating to see Djokovic take too many timeouts in between of their matches as it causes an unnecessary break in rhythm and more distraction rather. In other words, he accused the 23-time Grand Slam champion of gamesmanship and did not rate him that highly, although Djokovic continued to win against him.
However, as both the players matured and spent more time in the locker room, they warmed up to each other well. Recently, in an on-court interview in Cincinnati, Novak Djokovic praised Gael Monfils, calling him one of the most charismatic and amazing players to play on the ATP Tour in the last 20 years. He acknowledged the Frenchman’s struggles with injuries in recent years, claiming that seeing him bounce back to play good tennis at this age is impressive.
In the same interaction, Novak Djokovic joked about fans complaining about him being old and still playing the men’s singles game professionally. He feels that Gael Monfils should be talked about too, saying it extremely light-heartedly, which left fans in splits. After defeating Monfils, Djokovic gave an autograph on what looked like a tshirt that was to sent to his vanquished opponent. Hilariously, he wrote ‘Sorry, but no sorry‘ as a message, meaning he has mixed feelings about the 19-0 record.
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Djokovic set to take on Fritz in Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic has advanced to the last 4 and ready to take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Given his form, the Serbian goes into the match as the hot favorite to make it to the final where he could take on none other than the man who beat him in the Wimbledon final, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard will face Hubert Hurkacz in his semifinal clash.
