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‘He Is Stronger Than Me’ – Gael Monfils Gives a Bizarre Statement on Novak Djokovic While Comparing Him to Usain Bolt

Published 05/05/2022, 4:10 AM EDT

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Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly counted in the elite list of legendary players of the sport. Having years of experience in his bag, World No. 1 possesses a deep understanding of the game, giving him the room to understand his opponent’s game style early in the match. The French master Gael Monfils has no different say for the Serbian. Instead, he also compared the Serbian grace with the legendary athlete Usain Bolt.

The two are currently in the Spanish capital, competing at the ATP Masters 1000 Mutua Madrid Open. Having a good start to the tournament, they two faced each other the day before yesterday in the 2nd round. As anticipated, Djokovic won the match. However, what took to attention was Monfils’ comment before the match. Looking at the statement, it seemed like the 35-year-old was mentally prepared even before the match that he would be losing the clash.

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Gael Monfils on facing Djokovic

Monfils started his tournament campaign with a win over Spain’s Carlos Gimeno Valero. With the win, he now had to face Novak Djokovic. Prior to this tie, the two had faced each other 17 times in their careers. Looking at the stats, Djokovic led the head-to-head race 17-0.

Considering his prior record against Djokovic, it is presumed that Monfils knew beforehand that he might lose the match. Prior to their 2nd round clash, Monfils gave a statement that caught a major light. He started by recalling their previous matches, asserting that he didn’t like Djokovic’s style of play. Reasoning his statement, the Frenchman confessed that Djokovic always finds his weakness.

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“He has a style of play that I don’t like. That’s quite simple. He manages to find my weaknesses each time.”

Every sport has some of the greatest players in its line. While Novak Djokovic is one of them in tennis, Usain Bolt is undoubtedly the apt choice for athletics. Over the years, the two have achieved the heights of their respective sports that continue to remain untouched by their fellow players.

Going further in his statement, Monfils compared Djokovic with Bolt, as he went on to admit that Djokovic is stronger than him. He said, “He has a style of play that I don’t like. That’s quite simple. He manages to find my weaknesses each time. Quite simply, he is stronger than me. (…) But there are not many guys who beat Usain Bolt.”

Novak Djokovic outplays Gael Monfils In Madrid

As mentioned earlier, Gael Monfils entered the 2nd with a comfortable first-round win. On the other hand, being the top-seeded player, Novak Djokovic received a first-round bye and kicked off his tournament campaign from the second round itself.

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Both players started the match with easy hold in the initial games. However, it was Djokovic who took the first step, breaking Monfils in the middle of the set. Maintaining the lead, he went on winning the first with ease. The second set started with both players holding their first service games. However, again moving a step further, Djokovic broke Monfils in his second-service game, going on to win the set.

via Reuters

The final score of the match was 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic is now set to face his arch-rival Andy Murray in the third round today.

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Written by:

Ahmar Wasif

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Ahmar Wasif is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. He is a national level tennis player and has a number of titles to his name. His experience on the court allows him to incorporate a deeper understanding in his coverage of the sport.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh