Tennis

Gael Monfils Graciously Reveals Moment When He Felt Jannik Sinner’s ‘Time Would Come’

Puranjay Dixit
|Published Feb 15, 2024 01:46PM UTC

As Gael Monfils prepares to take on Jannik Sinner for the fifth time, the Frenchman revealed when he realised the Italian’s true potential. He said he knew the latter would go on to achieve great things in the North American swing last year.

Sinner has scaled new heights in the last few months, bagging his first Grand Slam to top it off. It all started with his title triumph at the 2023 Canadian Open, his first ATP 1000 trophy.

Jannik Sinner faced and defeated Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals in Toronto last year. The former World No.6 recently said (via Sportal) that that was when he knew the World No.4 would achieve great things. He added Stan Wawrinka, whom Sinner defeated in the 2023 US Open, also believed the same after his match.

“I remember when he defeated me in Toronto and after that he played great against Wawrinka at the US Open: we knew his time would come.”

The loss in Toronto was Monfils’ fourth against Sinner. Despite his skewed head-to-head, it took him until September last year to tip the 22-year-old to achieve great things. Monfils said Sinner’s serve had greatly improved when they faced off in the 2023 Canadian Open. The World No.70 said an improved service made Jannik Sinner a tougher opponent, hence leading to the feeling he would achieve much success.

“He’s improved so much in his serve: now he has a very powerful serve. The last time I faced him in Toronto I was surprised at how well he served. This great improvement of his has made him even more difficult to face.”

Jannik Sinner vs Gael Monfils prediction for 2024 Rotterdam Open clash

Sinner and Monfils share a cordial relationship, with the Italian calling the latter a good friend ahead of their match. Their 2024 Rotterdam Open Round of 16 tie is scheduled for Thursday, February 15, not before 7:30 pm local time (1:30 pm ET). Tennis Channel will livestream the match in the USA. The weather is predicted to be cloudy with high humidity. Temperatures will be around 12°C.

Jannik Sinner is a heavy favourite with odds of 1.07 to Gael Monfils’ 7.75, as per BetMGM (at the time of writing). The Frenchman beat Denis Shapovalov in the opener while the 2024 Australian Open champion thrashed Botic van de Zandschulp.

With a head-to-head lead of 4-1 and Monfils win coming back in 2019, Sinner also has the psychological advantage. He is on an incredible run of form, unbeaten in 2024 while collecting some top wins. Monfils is past his prime and will likely pose no threat. The 37-year-old, recently in the news for his disqualification from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, is on a 2-3 record. The SportsRush’s Jannik Sinner vs Gael Monfils prediction favours the World No.4 to win in straight sets.

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About the author

Puranjay Dixit

Puranjay is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush. He has written more than 300 articles on the sport. Ask him anything about tennis and he is ready to come up with well-crafted answers. He has been following tennis ever since his parents introduced him to the game when he was 10. His favourite player may be Rafael Nadal, but ask him who's the GOAT, and he'll say, Novak Djokovic. He may be pursuing a degree in an unrelated field, but creating quality sports content remains his first love.