'Going To Go Very Bad': Monfils Slams Atlanta Open Scheduling After Playing UTS

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Gael Monfils made a return at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Los Angeles, and he was quite happy with the way it went.

The French player hasn't played since Roland Garros, where he played one spectacular match before pulling out. Monfils missing the grass season is nothing major, as it has been the case for many years. He was never that good on it either so focusing on the hard court season certainly makes sense.

Speaking after the UTS in Los Angeles, Monfils admitted to being happy with how things went as he now shifts focus to the Atlanta Open. Being back on the court healthy and competing on the ATP Tour is all he wanted, and it's a great feeling.

I was quite happy. I was hitting a strong ball. The backhand is so much better. That was a huge question mark before I came. Even today, I was smashing the backhand. I am just happy. Overall playing such a format. It gives me confidence on my body and on my wrist.

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The Atlanta event is going to be a tough one for Monfils as he will play Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round. That's a pretty big matchup for the Frenchman who also has to deal with the rather short turnaround. He wasn't particularly thrilled about that.

It’s going to go very bad. I will land tomorrow and go straight on the court. I’m the only player from here who is playing tomorrow. I feel like the other two guys were protected and I feel like I wasn’t.

I can’t say I’m happy about it. I am happy to go to Atlanta for the first time. I will fly overnight and I will need rest. But it is what it is and I can’t complain. I will do my best and I heard I have some good support there.

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