On Tuesday night at Roland Garros, Gael Monfils was a point away from trailing Sebastian Baez 5-0 in the fifth set – a final stanza during which he would later be struck down by leg cramps.
But the charismatic Frenchman revealed the motivating force behind the unlikeliest of comeback victories, which ignited frenzied scenes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
"At 3-0, I said to myself: damn, I haven't won a match since I became a dad,” Monfils said during his on-court interview, in comments translated from French.
“My daughter is in Paris. I said to myself: damn, I'm still going to win one!”
Indeed, winning has not been easy of late for Monfils, who will turn 37 in September.
His most recent tour-level win came last August at the Canadian Masters, when he beat Maxime Cressy to reach the last 16. His only win since came last month at an ATP Challenger tournament in Ostrava – but only when opponent Evan Furness retired during the second set.
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After beating Cressy, Monfils retired hurt against Jack Draper and did not compete again for the rest of 2022. Montreal was the only event Monfils played in a 10-month span as he dealt with a heel injury.
It was perhaps especially galling for Monfils given how well he had started 2022. He opened the season with a title at the Adelaide International, then reached the Australian Open quarterfinals, and rose to world No.16.
Until now, those four victories at Melbourne Park, almost 18 months ago, were his most recent at a Grand Slam event.
He has since plunged to world No.394, entering Roland Garros with a 1-7 record in 2023.
Not that he wasn’t trying everything to recapture that form.
“I worked and practised well before, and I thought even though recently I lost many matches, I was playing tournaments, practice, practice, tournament, practice, tournament, practice, it was good. It did me good. And I gained confidence in my body,” he revealed.
A bright spot amid this period of professional turmoil was the October birth of his daughter Skaï, with wife and fellow pro player Elina Svitolina. On Monday, Svitolina continued her impressive comeback with a commanding win over last year’s semifinalist Martina Trevisan.
Skaï – whose name Monfils wrote on the camera lens following his win – fuelled him at a tournament which holds a special place in his captivating career.
Roland Garros is where Monfils advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal, 15 years ago. He reached another three quarterfinals and owns a 38-15 record in Paris – more match wins and a better winning rate (71.7 per cent) than at any other major tournament.
His 3-6 6-3 7-5 1-6 7-5 triumph over Baez was the 11th time he has won a match in five sets at Roland Garros; it is an Open Era record he now shares with Stan Wawrinka.
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— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 30, 2023
Yet it is astonishing he was able to pull it off, given the precarious position in which he found himself under lights.
Baez earned three set points at 4-5, 0-40 in the third set, but couldn’t convert them. And although Monfils rebounded to take a two-sets-to-one lead, Baez surged again, dominating the fourth set and moving ahead 4-0 in the fifth, earning a break point for a 5-0 lead.
Baez also served for the match, at 5-4.
From 4-0 and a point for 5-0 down, Monfils has won 11 straight points to pull to 3-4 in the 5th vs. Baez.
— Ravi Ubha (@raviubha) May 30, 2023
Crowd going wild.
But Monfils was able to tap into multiple energy sources – the motivation of succeeding for his daughter, the return of confidence in his physical abilities, the passionate fans – to complete an unforgettable triumph.
“It's definitely in like top two,” Monfils said, when asked to rank this match in his career.
“I had the same one almost kind of some years ago against Cuevas on (Court Suzanne) Lenglen (in 2015). It was unbelievable atmosphere as well.
“Of course this one is another flavour. I'm older, and even less chances, let's say, to win this match today.
“It's one of my best matches, the best sports moment I could experience.”
Sixth seed Holger Rune is next.
"No matter what, I will be ready for him Thursday,” Monfils smiled.