The Magic Man has arrived in the ‘Eternal City’! French tennis star Gael Monfils is all set to take on his Brazilian opponent, Thiago Monteiro, in the first-round match of the 2024 Italian Open. Who’ll have the last laugh in this enticing contest? Talking about results, Monteiro will be high in confidence before stepping onto the court against Monfils. Last month, he defeated the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas by 6-4, 6-4 in the R64 clash at the Madrid Open. Even here, he got off to a winning start and has won his previous two matches in the qualifiers.

Gael Monfils on the other hand, had a decent clay court swing this year. His performances at the Indian Wells Masters this year were truly exceptional! But he didn’t get a great start to his campaign on the clay courts. It will be interesting to see if he can somehow find his magic wand back in the dirt and make his presence felt in Rome.

Gael Monfils vs Thiago Monteiro: Preview

Gael Monfils’ best performance this year came at the Qatar Open, where he reached the semifinals. But after that, it has been pretty much bleak in the rest of the tournaments except for a little bit of flare at the Indian Wells Masters. In Madrid, he was defeated by Italy’s Luciano Darderi by 6-4, 6-2 in his first match. Looking at his numbers from that match, the Frenchman managed to hit only two aces but committed four double faults against Darderi. His first-serve win percentage was 60%, but it dropped to 50% on his second serve.

However, he managed to convert one out of his two breakpoints in that match and won five service games against the Italian. The most interesting of his numbers for this season has been the number of aces he has hit so far in 2024. ‘La Monf’ has managed to hit a staggering 185 aces and commit 81 double faults this season. He has won 81% of his service games and just 21% of his return games. Can Gael Monfils improve his numbers further with an incredible performance at the Italian Open?

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Well, the answer lies at the hands of his first examiner, Thiago Monteiro. The 29-year-old Brazilian made his professional debut almost thirteen years ago, but he hasn’t yet won a title in his career. However, if we look at his record for this season, Monteiro has had some deep runs into the Challenger tournaments this year. However, his best performance will always be reaching the QF on his home soil at the 2024 Rio Open and defeating the No. 8 in Madrid. Thiago Monteiro defeated France’s Corentin Moutet in his second qualifier match by 6-3,6-4 to set up a clash with the former world number 6 in Pietrangeli.

If we look at his numbers from his previous match, Monteiro could manage to hit only a single ace in the entire match. But he didn’t commit any double faults. His first-serve win percentage was 78% and his second-serve win percentage was 67% against Moutet. Thiago Monteiro managed to convert two out of four breakpoints successfully and won ten of his service games in that match. He is currently placed in 106th spot in the men’s singles ranking. So far, the Brazilian has managed to hit only twenty aces and committed six doubles faults this season. But he has a higher percentage of winning his service games (86%) as compared to his return games (23%). But who has the edge in H2H?

Monfils vs Monteiro: Head-to-Head

They have met only three times in their careers so far. In fact, their last meeting on the clay surfaces was way back in 2018. Gael Monfils defeated Thiago Monteiro in their first at the French Open by 6-1, 6-4, 6-1. But in the next, the Frenchman has the last laugh! He defeated Monfils by a three-set thriller at the QF of the 2018 Ecuador Open. Then again, came back to take the lead four years later, at the Adelaide International 2. The scoreline was yet again in favor of the Brazilian tennis player!

In that match, Monfils had to withdraw from the match when the game was excitingly poised at 7-6,3-6,0-1. However, Monfils had managed to hit ten aces compared to just four in that span during the match. So, surely serve is going to hold the key to breaking the deadlock for the Frenchman in this intriguing faceoff. But will it be yet again a three-set thriller?

Prediction: Monfils to win this match in three sets

Thiago Monteiro has had an extraordinary result against Stefanos Tsitsipas recently, but it is Gael Monfils who has the experience of playing multiple such matches in his career. So, experience is on the Frenchman’s side! But Monteiro, being a left-handed tennis player who favors playing on the clay courts, may fancy his chances against the world number 38! Some of the fans even relate his playing style to one of his idols, Rafael Nadal. Thiago Monteiro has trained on clay courts during most of his tennis career. So, if anything can give him an edge in this contest, it will be his familiarity with the clay courts.

Although Gael Monfils is 37 years old, he still has spring on his legs. And he’s well-known for his athleticism and his court coverage. He has the ability to surprise his opponent by quickly jumping from defense to offense, showcasing his unique shot-taking abilities. Monfils currently has a win-loss record of 12-11 this season, while Monteiro holds a record of 6-2. The Frenchman is a proven player on clay court surfaces. He has in fact reached the SF of the French Open in 2008. So, looking at their experience on the bigger stages of the game, it’s the Magician above all!