The ATP Tour, while it was still ongoing, had a couple of men playing some of the best tennis in their lives. These two players were none other than Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic. The pair even met twice in the first two months of the season. Monfils has now had his say on the French Open and his aspirations.

Gael Monfils was second only to Djokovic when it came to being the most in-form player on Tour. After a disappointing ATP Cup, Monfils made it to the round of 16 of the Australian Open where he lost to eventual runner-up Dominic Thiem.

His season truly took off after that. Monfils played in the Open Sud de France in Montpellier next, where he went on to capture the ATP 250 title. He followed that up with another title at the Rotterdam Open in the Netherlands, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the ATP 500 final.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships came next for the Frenchman. There he came up against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, who had not lost a single match. It was a mighty big task for Monfils to beat the Serbian. Novak led the head to head between the duo 17-0.

However, one of the most entertaining and competitive matches unfolded in Dubai. Gael played some dazzling tennis in the first set and a half. He even getting himself three match points in the second set. In typical Djokovic fashion though, he pulled the match back and won to make it 17-0 against Monfils.

Gael Monfils makes an honest admission

A man clearly in the form of his life, many fans would be hopeful of his chances at French Open. Gael himself had a message for the fans.

“I just want to say to my fans that if I didn’t win Roland Garros it’s because I wasn’t a good enough player yet. Hopefully one day I will be, if I have the opportunity.”

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As a youngster, Monfils was often touted to be the best in the world once he turned professional. However, he hasn’t been able to make the finals of a single Grand Slam yet. His best showing at a Major remains two semi-final appearances at French Open and US Open.

While he certainly is talented enough to push for a Major, let’s not forget the copious amounts of entertainment the man has provided us with over the years. He may not have won a Grand Slam, but he remains a crowd-favorite around the world.