Favorite Djokovic starts strong in Australia
Spanish. Victories by Pablo Carreño and Pedro Martínez;
defeat of Albert Ramos
Frame. Men's first round
Gael Monfils
ended his farewell press conference at the Australian Open in tears.
The Frenchman fell in the first round against the Finnish
Emiil Ruusuvuori
, number 86 in the world, and already has almost a whole year without winning a single game.
His last victory was on February 27, 2020 against his compatriot Richard Gasquet in Dubai
, the last tournament before the pandemic stopped everything.
Since then, one defeat after another.
Seven in a row.
And a hole from which he cannot escape.
"I'd like to tell you that I've gotten up and this nightmare is over, but I'm still in there."
"I have zero confidence. I play badly. I cannot serve, I cannot hit with the right hand, I commit fouls. I am six meters behind the line ... I have no confidence. I am sincere and I say it.
I have no confidence. I do not feel well, that can be seen
. I have no need to say anything else. That feels, "confessed Monfils after falling against Ruusuvuori in almost four hours of the match (3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6 -3).
"I don't feel good because I ca
n't do what I want, I can't find my game
, I can't find my right hand, I can't find my serve. That's what makes me unwell. It's obvious. And it's hard. It's frustrating. I fight, I try things, but nothing comes out. "
After beating Gasquet, Monfils fell in the Dubai semi-finals against
Djokovic
.
It was his last tournament before the pandemic.
After the break, already in September, the defeats against
Koepfer, Hanfmann, Bublik and Carreño
would arrive
.
Last week he lost his first game of the year against
Berrettini
in the ATP Cup.
And this Monday, against Ruusuvuori.
Seven defeats in a row that have sapped the morale of the world number eleven.
"I ask for a little mercy"
"I would like to go out. I ask for a little mercy. Yes, I have lost a lot, and it hurts because I work. The worst thing is that I work. And every time I come here I feel judged. You see that I do not get it. I
train like a crazy and I can't. When someone is on the ground, don't shoot him
, "he asked at a press conference.
"What do you get out of these moments?" Asked a journalist.
And Monfils, with his heart in his hand, ended up collapsing.
"Nothing.
Nothing new to say
. Nothing because ... I am going to tell you the simple phrase that my mother is going to tell me ... She is going to tell me, 'You have to keep training and he will be back' ... It's the only thing that...".
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