Anyone who wants to see spectacular tennis should watch a Gaël Monfils match. The 37-year-old Frenchman was active this weekend in the sixth round of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, an alternative circuit that was founded during corona and opts for less traditional rules.
In his match against Andrey Rublev, Monfils came up with an amazing answer to the Russian’s serve. The Frenchman hit the ball past the net and inside with unprecedented effect, to the disbelief of Rublev, the public in Frankfurt and the commentators on duty.
“What was going through my mind? Good question,” Monfils laughed afterwards. “I was going for a big whack down the line anyway, but this was a real whack. I didn’t expect that I would be able to put so much force behind it. To be honest, it was a super lucky shot. It even feels a bit unreal, it was a rocket of a ball. I knew I could do this someday, if I got the perfect ball. But it still remains very risky. In the end it turned out well and hours after the match I still receive messages from people who are impressed.”
The images:
