"If I could win 20 Slams, I would have” - Monfils opens up about others' expectations
ATP
Fan-favourite Gael Monfils has opened up about others' perceptions of his talent, explaining how he has enjoyed his career to the max.
Currently, Monfils sits just outside of the top 20 of the ATP Rankings, but there were times when he was an established part of the Top 10. On Tuesday, he played against Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Madrid Open and lost, but as usual, the Frenchman took it upon himself to entertain those who had paid to come and watch him.
From the outside, it certainly seems that the Frenchman loves to interact with crowds while playing. As is not the reality, this can sometimes be confused for him not taking the match as seriously as his opponent when in fact it is just his way of enjoying his time on court.
In a recent interview, Monfils had the chance to explain his love for what he does, reflect on his successful his career, and his perceptions of his accomplishments.
"It was a big dream. I still live my dreams 100%. I'm living my dream. I'm blessed, I'm lucky. People don't see how much work I put into this, how many sacrifices my parents made for me."
"For me, having fun and enjoying what I'm doing is key. I'm vert blessed to do a sport as my job. I maybe get my pleasure in a different way than others and most people. [But] I always say, different is not forbidden."
"I have my fun, I like it. For me, it's a lucky time. It's quite unbelievable what we're doing. I just try to enjoy it as much as I can. I know this is not forever. Honestly I just be me and compete. At the same time if I can have my fun, why not?"
When speaking on how others perceive his achievements over the course of his career, he had plenty to say in return, explaining that success is not always measured in terms of a raw number of Grand Slam trophies.
"They see you and think that, You’re not doing this, you’re not doing that.' But actually, you’re doing much better than those people say. The best of our sport, when we’re top 100, to be ranked No. 100… there are only 99 people in front of you in the world. People sometimes forget how many people play tennis."
One thing is for sure, and that is that Gael Monfils chose the right career path for himself, with the Frenchman finding his calling on the ATP Tour. However, many years remain for the natural-born entertainer, and there is no doubt about his successes.
"We are blessed to have a big sport. Everybody is playing tennis, everybody is wishing to be there. When you see No. 99 in the world, pay big respect to this guy. Even top 20 [players], sometimes they’re talking [about them]. We’re doing what we do and [it is] always [about] the ‘If’... I always say, if I could win 20 Slams, no worries, I would have won 20 Slams."
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