Gael Monfils has been popularly called a showman on the tennis court, but he dismissed suggestions that he prefers that to winning.
Monfils has had a pretty spectacular tennis career, which is coming to an end. He doesn't have a Grand Slam or a Grand Slam final or an ATP Masters 1000 trophy, but he's certainly been one of the better and most consistent players over the years.
Injuries impacted his career tremendously, but he was still able to create a great career for himself, peaking at number 6 in the rankings many years ago. One thing that never changed, though, was his reputation for showmanship, although some fans started using it against him.
It's true that Monfils never shied away from making things attractive for the crowd, but he never played and prioritized that. Like most tennis players, he's very competitive, and the focus was always on winning, which he reiterated recently during a podcast episode.
"It's funny because sometimes he prefers to do a show instead of win and I'm like 'yeah yeah think that.' It's quite okay because it's funny to think that. At the end maybe this is who they want me to be. But I can assure you that the win is the main goal. That's for sure. Because I wanna win when I play cards with my friends, playstation or anythnig else.
Monfils did, at times, lose points and games due to opting for a more risky shot, which was more pleasing for the crowd, but he has rarely done it for the entirety of the match.
The fact that he was having fun on the court never really got in the way of winning as much as people suggest. Injuries are the main reason why his career never reached the heights some predicted.
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