Dubai: The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is set to welcome back one of the ATP World Tour’s greatest entertainers as Gael Monfils returns to the tournament for the first time since 2008.
Back then the former junior World No.1 and Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon junior champion, was ranked a modest World No.52 and fell in his opening match to Tomas Berdych. But he now arrives in Dubai fresh from his best-ever season that saw him climb to World No.6.
Now ranked ninth, in 2016 the 30-year-old Frenchman not only won his sixth and biggest career title in Washington, but he also advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open without dropping a set before losing to Novak Djokovic. He also reached two further finals, at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo where he lost to Rafael Nadal, and in Rotterdam.
Add in a quarter-final at the Australian Open and semi-finals in Toronto and Tokyo, and further major quarter-finals at Indian Wells, Miami and the Rio Olympics, and it is little wonder that he qualified for the elite field of players at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. And all that was achieved despite a virus, knee injury, and a rib injury that forced him to withdraw from Paris and then during the ATP Finals round-robin stage.
It is his flamboyant antics on court that invariably gain the greatest attention, but despite playing down the idea that he deliberately sets out to astonish, he also reveals his showstopping shots don’t happen by accident either.
“I play tennis to have fun and because I love the sport,” he said. “If not, I wouldn’t wake up every morning. Most people think that jumping or doing a trick shot is gifted, and yes, it’s gifted, but it’s a lot of work.
“I won’t say I work on the trick shot, but I think physically I’m one of the best. To be able to do that means you’re in great shape.
“If I didn’t have fun I’d stop playing tennis, for sure. I think everything I do in my life I try to have fun, and I try to be creative both on and off the tennis court.”
Among those competing with Monfils for the title from February 27 to March 4 will be World No.1 Andy Murray, seven-time winner Roger Federer, 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka, two-time finalist Tomas Berdych and 2016 finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
Action gets under way first with the WTA event from February 19 to 26 that features seven of the world’s top 10 players, including World No.2 Angelique Kerber, reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, 2017 Brisbane winner Karolina Pliskova, 2017 Sydney champion Johanna Konta, 2016 WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova and former Dubai winners Sara Errani, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.
Tickets are available via the box office at Dubai Tennis Stadium, which is open daily from 9am to 9pm. They are also available online through http://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/en/tickets for more information visit www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com.
