Gael Monfils has been running the show at the BNP Paribas Open this year. The 37-year-old French tennis star is a showman by nature and he loves to entertain his fans around the world with his charisma and high-risk shot-making. Probably any other player wouldn’t even think of doing what he does on the court. But will the Monfils Magic Show come to an end at the hands of Casper Ruud in the R16 at the Indian Wells?

The countdown has already started and the Norwegian tennis star takes on the Magic Man in an intriguing faceoff a few hours later. Who do you think has the upper hand in this mega battle?

Gael Monfils vs Casper Ruud: Preview

Who would say he’s 37 years old? Gael Monfils’ athleticism on the court and his ability to outplay the youngsters with his incredible speed have come like a bolt from the blue for many. Several fans are now backing the Frenchman to continue his stellar run this year at the BNP Paribas Open. But how has the 2024 season been so far for these two tennis stars?

Gael Monfils started his season at the ASB Classic this year but got defeated in his first match over there. However, in the 2024 AO, he managed to reach the second round but yet again stumbled in his next tournament in France. In Rotterdam, he managed to reach R16 and after that, in the Qatar Open, he continued that momentum to reach the SF of the tournament. Gael Monfils has been through a rollercoaster ride this year.

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In the Dubai Tennis Championships, he was yet again shown the exit door in his very first match. But then he made a comeback with a three-match winning streak at Indian Wells. Can he extend his run at the ‘Tennis Paradise‘ with a win against the world number 9?

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Casper Ruud on the other hand, faced a third-round exit in his very first tournament this year at Melbourne Park. Then he came back with two consecutive final appearances in his next two tournaments before taking his flight to California. In the BNP Paribas Open, so far, he has successfully managed to overcome all the hurdles that came his way. But Gael Monfils is surely going to be the trickiest challenge among all of them.

Monfils vs Ruud: Head-to-Head

Both of them have faced each other only once on the ATP Tour. In 2018, Gael Monfils defeated Casper Ruud at the Ecuador Open in Quito by a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 margin. However, Casper Ruud has won 15 of his last 18 matches this season. He’ll surely look back to take his revenge on the Frenchman.

Gael Monfils has won 8 of his last 14 matches. If we look at the stats, Casper Ruud has played almost 62 matches over the past year, for an average of 26.4 games. While on the hard courts, the Norwegian has played 30 matches over the past 12 months, averaging 26.9 games per match and winning 53.3% of the games.

While Monfils has played a total of 37 matches across different court surfaces in the past 12 months, winning 51.4% of the games. The Frenchman averages 25.7 games per match and 10.0 games per set. In his 33 matches on the hard courts in the past year, Gael Monfils has an average of 25.9 games per match and 10. games per set, winning 52.0% of them.

In the 12 hard-court tournaments over the past year, Casper Ruud has a win-loss record of 18-12, while Gael Monfils has 19-14 on that same surface. So, this will surely be an interesting contest to watch.

Prediction: Fans will not get deprived of the ‘La Monf’ Show, however Casper Ruud seems to be the safer call here

Gael Monfils holds a 20-13 win-loss record at Indian Wells and has reached the QF of the tournament in 2016 and 2019. However, he recently took part in a 3-hour, 14-minute-long marathon match against Cameron Norrie in the R32. So, fatigue can play a huge part in his game against an opponent who’s almost 12 years younger than him.

Fans would surely love to see a bit more of the Gael Monfils Magic Show at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden this year. But do you think he stands a chance against in-form Casper Ruud?

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