Henri Leconte: Gael Monfils could have won French Open if...

Former French Open finalist Henri Leconte says he was disappointed for compatriot Gael Monfils after the postponement of the Roland-Garros tournament to September.

The French Open Grand Slam has been postponed from May to September this year due to the current pandemic and there is still some uncertainty as to whether the tournament would be held at all based on how the situation unfolds in the coming months.

Speaking to RMC Sport, Leconte says he felt Monfils was playing well enough and was fit enough at the start of the year to win the Grand Slam in Paris.

"Yes, there is a Frenchman who could succeed Yannick Noah (the last French champion in 1983), He impressed me and unfortunately he was stopped in his tracks, it was Gael Monfils. He had a great year anyway. I certainly think he was the player who could win Roland Garros. "

Ranked no. 9 in the world, Monfils started the season by reaching the last 16 at the Australian Open in January, followed by titles in Montpellier and Rotterdam and a semi-final appearance in Dubai before the season shut down. He was ranked No. 3 in the ATP race to London - which considers the total number of points earned from the beginning of the season behind Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.

"The dice are not yet thrown. It is true that the best players will always be better prepared than the others. It will not be easy at all. But if Roland-Garros ever takes place, that may be interesting. We can say that Rafael Nadal remains the best player in the world on clay, but we can also have a little surprise."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3dErIg1