After 2008, Gael Sebastian Monfils is back in Dubai for a second time at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a good start. On Monday, the ATP World No 12 and Tournament fourth seed beat Egyptian Mohammad Safwat after a tough fight in the first round. On Wednesday, the French professional tennis player played Daniel Evans but on Tuesday he found time to check out one of his favourite cars, the Audi R8.
“I loved cars when I was younger, now not as much as I grew up a little bit. But I still enjoy driving,” the 30-year-old told Gulf News tabloid!.
Monfils is currently the No 2 ranked Frenchman and was named the ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2006. But he enjoyed various sports since he was a young boy, and reached the No 1 ATP junior combined world ranking in February 2004 after gathering a singles win-loss record of 83-22. He won the Boys’ Singles titles at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon that year.
“I got into tennis because of my parents. They would play a little on the weekend and I liked it when I played,” said Monfils. His father Rufin is a former French football player and his mother, Sylvette, is a nurse. His younger brother, Daryl, also plays tennis and they’ve played doubles together in the 2012 Open Sud de France. “I play not just tennis but also football, basketball and also did judo. It’s going to be a tough play [against Daniel Evans]. I’m playing against a player who came out strong last year and had a great debut.”
But Monfils is always charming both on and off court, known to praise his match opponents. On Monday after his match with Safwat, he told media he was taken aback with the fight Safwat had put up.
“You always expect a tough match, but I wasn’t expecting that he had so much power with his forehand. His forehand was superfast and deep,” he said. “I think it was great, actually.”
Monfils’ career highs include two grand slam semi-finals at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open, and three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals. Last July, he received his first ATP World Tour 500 Series singles title, in the second week after Wimbledon, defeating Croatian Ivo Karlovic in Washington, DC. The win was the player’s first ATP World Tour singles title in over two years, although he reached at least one final every year since 2005.
Due to his experience in several sports, including athletics, Monfils is known for his court coverage slides to retrieve balls from different corners of the court, for which he is sometimes referred to as the Sliderman.
He is also known for shooting aces during his service and a forehand that can reach 193km per hour. “You should watch the strength with which the ball whizzes across the court when he plays,” whispered a colleague in my ear, as we watched him pose with the bright yellow Audi R8 on the lawn outside the squash courts at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.
His game aside, Monfils also has a reputation for showmanship on court, which has earned him the moniker ‘Entertainer’. But ask him what does he do on court that he’s gained him this name and he says, “I don’t know, you tell me” because he “used to dance when I was younger but not anymore”.
But the entertainment is not restricted to the tennis court. Monfils has also appeared in the music video for the song Hello by French DJ and singer Martin Solveig and the Canadian electronic music band Dragonette.
Music has a special place in his life as he hears “lots. Everyday”.
And what is his favourite drive jam?
“It depends on the mood. French rap, US rap, French R&B, classic, hip hop,” he said.
