"A legend of tennis": Gaël Monfils says US Open result doesn't change his stance on Djokovic
Before kicking off his campaign at the Masters 1000 in Paris this week, the Frenchman opened up about the world No. 1.
Gaël Monfils hailed rival Novak Djokovic as a legend of the game ahead of his Rolex Paris Masters opener.
In 17 years on tour, Monfils is yet to overcome the world No. 1 in 17 meetings, and feels his reputation is untarnished despite his US Open near-miss at the Calendar Year Grand Slam.
"He’s a legend of tennis,” Monfils said. “He lost against Daniil [Medvedev] who played extremely well. He hasn’t lost a lot of matches. He’s No. 2 worldwide. So as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t change anything.”
Medvedev captured his first major title in New York, snapping Djokovic’s 27-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments with a straight-set victory, and still has a shot at ending the 2021 season ranked No. 1.
"Both players have great level. Novak is still Novak,” Monfils said. “He’s still a fantastic player. He’s won three Grand Slams. He’s still the same. He only lost to the second player, the second-ranked player."
Djokovic is back on tour for the first time since the US Open and will take on Marton Fucsovics in singles after winning a doubles clash with countryman Filip Krajinovic. The Serbs slipped past Alex de Minaur and Luke Saville in a match tiebreak to book a meeting with No. 6 seeds Filip Polasek and John Peers.