He drinks Coke during his matches, doesn’t have a coach and admits there are times “he doesn’t give a [bleep]” on the court.
Meet 20th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who has emerged as arguably the most interesting story of this U.S. Open.
From his free-wheeling style to loud wardrobe, powerful groundstrokes to blistering serve, the brutally honest and unpredictable Monfils is a character Flushing Meadows fans have taken a liking to.
Monfils, 28, will almost certainly not be a fan favorite the next time he takes the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, when he will draw No. 2 Roger Federer, who easily defeated Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday night, in a quarterfinal showdown. The eccentric base-liner, however, had the crowd’s full support on Tuesday with a pristine performance amidst the oppressive heat, a 7-5, 7-6 (6), 7-5 domination of seventh-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
Monfils dismissed his impeccable record through his first four matches — he is one of two players in the men’s draw who have yet to drop a set, No. 1 Novak Djokovic being the other — to luck. In the U.S. Open quarters for the second time after reaching the final eight in 2010, Monfils cited several momentum-turning points that could have gone either way against Dimitrov as proof, including a drop shot to win the second set he described as one of the worst he’s ever hit.
“It’s pure luck, you know, to haven’t dropped a set,” said Monfils, who lost his serve just once, won 57 of 73 first-serve points and recorded 29 winners. “So you need to have it sometimes, and I hope I will have more.”
In his post-match press conference, Monfils alternated between humor, hubris and humility. He expects to have the fans in his corner against Federer because, he said, “Why not?”
When asked why he drinks Coke during matches, he said: “Sometimes, you know, I just feel like I want a Coke.”
Monfils said Federer is “the legend of tennis” and “the greatest player we ever had.” As for his flexibility, he said: “Just every day thanks for my mom and my dad.”
Of course, this being Monfils, Tuesday’s win also included an odd stretch. Midway through the second set, he appeared angry with Dimitrov, standing on the service line and telling his opponent to serve before swatting the ball and walking to his chair. A heated conversation with the umpire followed with gestures toward his and Dimitrov’s team.
“I just get a bit [angry],” Monfils said.
Befitting his atypical style, Monfils has played without a coach since he and Patrick Chamagne parted ways in 2013, simply because the relationship reached “the end of the road,” his agent Lawrence Frankopan told The Post.
Monfils said he thinks it would benefit him to find someone he can trust, but it must be the right person, an individual he has yet to meet who can fill the necessary travel obligations.
Then again, he joked he’s not sure he wants to hire a new one after his performance so far in Queens.
“I don’t know, I think I’m just hard, I’m just working hard now,” he said. “I guess I should at least stay like this.”
Against Dimitrov, he was consistent, his groundstrokes and serve explosive, and he kept his poise at big moments, rallying from behind in the second set tie break and taking advantage of the opportunities Dimitrov presented, converting three of four break points.
“I think he defended when he had to,” Dimitrov said. “He played very strongly on the good points, served well when he had to, and at break points he really defended well. We all know how — he’s playing well. He’s playing well at the moment and moving well always. He’s a tricky opponent. I must say I give all the credit to him today.”
Monfils will need to continue to display those winning tenets his critics have called on him to adopt, against Federer in the quarterfinals. Call it controlled aggression.
“It’s why, you know, I think I play tennis for, to [go] against a big legend, big court, showtime,” Monfils said. “That’s what I train for. For me it’s the best thing can happen is to play against that guy on that stage.”