Caribbean Roots Player Loses Out On Semi-Finals Slot At Open
September 9, 2010
CaribWorldNews, FLUSHING, NY, Thurs. Sept. 9, 2010: The Caribbean connection to the 2010 U.S. Open is over.
Gael Monfils, whose roots stretch to the French Caribbean, was yesterday denied a spot in the semi-finals of the tourney, despite a hard fought battle. Novak Djokovic beat Monfils and advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory in a wind-marred match.
`The talent for play in the wind, I don`t have like yet,` Monfils said after the match.`Wind like this for me is very tough. I have a big swing, and as you can see, my adjustment is not that good sometime.`
Monfils’ game was filled with junkball tactics and was purely unpredictable and the player admitted to confusion on the court after.
`I was completely lost. Can`t serve, can`t really use my forehand. You run for what?,` he questioned.
After losing the first-set tiebreak, Monfils went away fast.
Djokovic is now 5-0 in career head-to-head matchups with Monfils. He will now meet either Roger Federer or Robin Soderling in the semifinal.
Monfils, 24, the 17th seed, played well throughout the tourney to make the Quarter finals. His parents are both from the French Caribbean though he was born in Paris, France. His father, Rufin, a former football player employed as an agent for France Telecom, comes from the island of Guadeloupe while his mother, Sylvette, comes from the island of Martinique and is a nurse.
The 6 ft. 4 inch Monfils considers Arthur Ashe to be his favorite player. He was coached by countryman and former ATP pro Thierry Champion (since September 2004) but they parted company in September 2006. Nevertheless, Monfils`s fitness trainer is still Rémi Barbarin. Monfils announced a partnership with a new coach, Tarik Benhabiles, in May 2007. However, for the 2008 season, Monfils has hired Roger Rasheed as his coach.
He has tattoos on both wrists, and giant wing tattoos on the lower half of his back. He is fond of listening to music, particularly R&B and has said if he did not play tennis, he would play basketball. He is a huge fan of NBA team Denver Nuggets and his favorite basketball player is Carmelo Anthony. Monfils is also a fan of football and his two favorite football clubs are Arsenal F.C. and Paris-Saint Germain. He lives in Nyon, Switzerland.
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