In 2004, the 4 boys' Grand Slam titles were shared between two 17-year-olds.
Three went to the player who was considered probably the most talented, the last to the presumably second best player – who, nonetheless, even then didn’t want to simply accept being only the second best.
The first player had a really successful profession: he was recurrently ranked on this planet's top 20, reached No. 6 at his peak, and reached two Grand Slam semifinals. The second player, the losing junior, had an impressive profession: three major titles, two Olympic gold medals, a Davis Cup victory, world No. 1 rating. He did this by exploiting all of his talent, while the opposite player appeared to not quite exploit his potential.
Twenty years after these triumphs as juniors, each are nearing the top of their careers. The more successful player is eight months younger, but is near retirement – seven years of injuries have pushed his body to its absolute limits.
The other player is having fun with a late renaissance after battling injuries for a variety of years, but is now ranked thirty seventh at age 37, making him the oldest player on this planet's top 50. He is loved for his showmanship and strokeplay, and can be considered one of the most important crowd-pullers wherever he performs – especially at Roland Garros in his hometown of Paris.
On Monday evening, Gael Monfils once more thrilled the Court Philippe-Chatrier for several hours in the very best night session. It was not only that he defeated the 24-year-old Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in 4 sets, it was also the best way he did it: a cavalcade of running forehand passing shots, jumping backhand volleys and interactions with the group.
Twenty-four hours earlier, his former junior rival Andy Murray took to the identical court to face Stan Wawrinka. Murray, getting back from his recent injury layoff, fought bravely for a couple of sets but lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. It is anticipated to be his last French Open.
Monfils plays against Murray throughout the first round of Roland Garros 2006 (Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images)
For an extended time, Murray may very well be used as a stick against Monfils, the contemporary who showed what you would achieve with more effort. But over time, that comparison has grow to be superficial. The concept that Monfils isn't trying hard is silly – he's won 12 titles himself – and their different careers speak for themselves.
Murray, who has a dedication that might make most mere mortals cringe, managed to interrupt into the highest of men's tennis and stay there. Monfils, despite not winning the key titles he promised, continues to be some of the popular players on the tour and fills stadiums all over the world. No wonder when he does things like this…
HE SWITCHED HANDS WITH THE VOLLEY 😱@Gael_Monfils goes with the left!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/PWRFcPK3Oh
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) 10 April 2024
Monfils definitely has no regrets.
“Impossible,” he said in a conversation on the eve of the tournament.
“So many people forget where I come from and who I am. Nobody knows me. I couldn't have predicted for a second who I am now. I am one of the luckiest people to have made it. I never expected this career. My mother is a nurse and works night shifts to help me play tennis. My father worked in telecommunications at the time because he played football but had to stop quite early.
“I used to be living in a not so good area of Paris and I had this dream. And now I'm here talking to you. You know my name. This is unattainable. I did it.”
Back when Monfils was the all-conquering junior, Murray was asked at Wimbledon in 2004 if the Frenchman was the boy's equivalent of Roger Federer.
“No, I don’t think so,” said 17-year-old Murray with a kind of querulousness that would soon become a habit.
“He's done very well and won in Australia and on the French Open. But I had a detailed match with him last week and he struggled through his match today. I beat him 6-4, 6-1 on the French Open last yr. So he's beatable.”
Monfils won the junior tournament at Wimbledon that year, while Murray secured a place on the leaderboard with his victory at the US Open. Monfils' hopes of becoming only the second player after Stefan Edberg in 1983 to complete a boys' Grand Slam in the calendar year ended in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Monfils after his victory within the Junior Wimbledon against Britain's Miles Kasiri (Phil Cole/Getty Images)
This may all look like ancient history today, however the two have known one another for for much longer. “It's crazy because the first time I played against Andy was when I was 11 and he was 10,” remembers Monfils.
Monfils made the leap to skilled tennis before Murray, reaching the second round of the 2005 Australian Open. Both he and Murray made the third round at Wimbledon that yr, and Monfils was named ATP Newcomer of the Year at the top of the season.
The two crossed paths again the next yr once they met in the primary round of the French Open. Monfils won in five sets, avenging Murray for the victory that they had achieved of their first meeting on the skilled tour in Hamburg.
Surprisingly, the pair have only met six times on the essential tour, with Murray leading the head-to-head 4-2. Their last meeting at this level was a decade ago, just before their dominant junior days. The match, a French Open quarter-final, may very well be seen as the beginning of their small-time careers, with Murray coming out on top and winning in five sets.
Before the match, Murray said: “He's a great athlete – perhaps the best we've had in tennis. He's played his best tennis here by far in the Grand Slams. He loves playing in front of a big crowd. Gael has always been a great entertainer and he's great for the sport.”
Murray was already a two-time Grand Slam winner on the time, and Monfils had not reached a significant semifinal because the 2008 French Open. Monfils did reach one other semifinal on the 2016 US Open, but was defeated by Novak Djokovic in a bizarre match that featured the Serb ripping open his shirt, a muddled rating, and warmth and humidity so intense that each players gave the impression to be confused.
That's still the furthest Monfils has reached at a Grand Slam, but within the eight years since, he's reached two major quarterfinals (one on the 2022 Australian Open, at age 35) and won six more titles, doubling his profession tally, none of which he's achieved at Masters level (1000).
Murray has 14 of those along with all his other major achievements.
Monfils and Murray after the quarterfinals at Roland Garros (Kenzo Triboillaurd/AFP via Getty Images)
“Everyone is different,” says Monfils about his former junior rival. “We have different goals. I'm a big fan of Andy. His successes, his career, he is the guy he is. He's a really respectful and cool guy. A legend of the sport.”
“I never judge others, everyone thinks differently. I try to learn from him and what he did is incredibly good. I try not to make similar decisions myself, but to make decisions that are best for me.”
Monfils also rejects the notion that his talent means he hasn't worked hard or could have tried harder. “(People say) 'Ah, Monfils is not disciplined,'” he told the Guardian this month. “Guys, don't think that because I have fun on the pitch. The work I do off the pitch is big.”
Watching Monfils in front of a house crowd stays some of the beautiful tennis experiences. There is a symbiosis in the best way they feed one another with energy.
It didn't take long for the court in Chatrier to begin buzzing on Monday night. The brass band was already in full swing when Monfils one way or the other chased down a volley within the seventh game and sank a forehand passing shot for the win. He asked the group to boost their voices – they usually obliged. It was a spectacular finish to a rally that showcased Monfils's superior defensive and strokeplay skills. The way he moved, it was hard to consider that illness forced him to cancel Geneva last week and he needed to take antibiotics.
At the beginning of the second set, his essential cheerleaders sang “Allez allez Gael” to the tune of “Everybody Dance Now” on a drop volley en path to an early break.
However, he ended up losing that set after a series of harmless errors, as he managed to interrupt to level at 0-0, demonstrating a scarcity of concentration that probably prevented him from reaching the highest of the match.
Even during this set, there was a bouncing backhand volley and a beautifully disguised drop shot; each of which brought the group to their feet.
“I love you, Gael!” yelled one supporter. “Me too!” shouted one other.
A superb backhand pass helped Monfils break from behind within the third set, and a wave of applause soon followed. Monfils won the third set and took the fourth in satisfying, trademark fashion: ace, ace, botched smash, ace, winner. The final shot was a typically graceful flying smash – a version of the “slam dunk” that Pete Sampras used to drag off.
Monfils roared with joy, did a little bit dance, beat his chest and let loose his signature Black Panther cheer on all 4 sides of the court. With this victory, he became the French player with probably the most Grand Slam victories (122), ahead of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
🙅♂️#RolandGarros @Gael_Monfils pic.twitter.com/nV39WQieSm
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2024
image credit : www.nytimes.com