His final performance ended in defeat, to Hugo Gaston, but not before clawing back to make one final stand. The left-hander ultimately advanced through the battle of wild cards, 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0.
“Honestly, I’d say it was not a regular match, so I step on the court feeling completely different,” Monfils said in the English portion of his post-match press conference.
“Hugo was playing great. So I had to retake control of my mind, of my body, try to reconnect with myself, and then I think I start to hit a little bit better, strike better, be a bit more patient, have a better vision also of what I wanted to do, and push him a little bit through a tougher match.”
