Gael Monfils has been playing excellent tennis in the last few months but he felt that many wanted him to quit the sport during his time out injured.
The Frenchman is a fan favourite all around the world due to how he plays the sport. He is one of the most athletic and entertaining players ever, producing shots that are scarcely believable at times.
His style is always entertaining, but the 37-year-old's results have been very good recently as well. Interestingly, Monfils hit out at fans who think he prioritizes style over results, which he says is not true.
Nonetheless, he is always someone fans want to see play. That is partly why Monfils received a wildcard for the Monte-Carlo Masters, which is an event he came close to winning in 2016 when he was runner-up to Rafael Nadal.
Despite the love that exists for Monfils, he spoke in his press conference after beating Aleksandar Vukic in Monte-Carlo about how it seemed like people wanted him to stop playing tennis when he was injured.
"Last year I wrote various articles on Linkedin and I read them recently, and a year ago I had the impression that people wanted me to quit tennis. I was 400 in the world. People don't believe in your dreams."
Monfils then said this is why it is important for him to have interactions with his real fans, with some not realizing that returning to the sport from injury was not about winning several tournaments, which is something only the legends do.
"This is why I try to have interactions with my real fans. I don't need to win 20 tournaments, but if I win one match here, one match there, this is what it is about. There are only the legends who won everything. They don't allow you to say, you know I'm 36, I'm 400 in the world and I still want to come back to a good level. Everybody was laughing at me at the time."
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