Gael Monfils: 'Wawrinka and I have been practicing together for 14 years'
Gael Monfils feels pleased with winning the Rotterdam Open. The Frenchman prevailed over Stan Wawrinka in three sets seeing the light again after a difficult 2018 season. “We have been practising all winter together, and really for the past 14 years too. In these matches, it’s tricky to surprise the other", said Monfils. "I was a bit tougher than him in the third set and changed the rhythm, as I felt he was playing heavy in the second set and I felt like I couldn’t handle it. I had to break his momentum. I had to be more aggressive and sneak in some serve and volley tennis. In the second set, I felt like I was pushing back physically and not striking cleanly. I was stressed and angry, but I had to think about it and in the third game of the decider, I took my chance and gained energy."
"Stan started hurting me a lot, hitting very powerful, long and ridiculous shots. Physically, I did not manage to keep his rhythm. Then I decided to do something different and to hold that intensity. With my coach, I now try to keep rising to the top", said Monfils, who will now go through a wrist MRI before confirming his appearance at the Open 13 in Marseille.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2E8uFp9
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