He will be meeting countryman World no.7 Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the final. Tsonga was the benefactor of Federer’s retirement before the commencement of their semifinal match-up. Tsonga holds a 2-1 record against Monfils though Monfils is the recent victor.
“It’s always really tough to play against Jo because he has a powerful game, and kind of game [where] it’s tough to manipulate him from the baseline, I need just to focus on my game and focus on my mind. It’s always tougher to be like this in the final against a friend. You want to show him you’re the best, and sometimes, you’re going too fast, and sometimes you’re a bit shaky. You have to find a balance.” … Monfils
With this win, Monfils snapped a 5 match losing streak against Nadal. His previous win was also achieved in the same stage at the same venue 3 yrs ago.
“I just focused on my game and being aggressive, Today everything worked.” … Monfils
“I don’t think the match was bad for me,The second set, I started doing well, doing what I have to do to win a match against him… I didn’t play well at the end the match. I was a little bit unlucky in a few decisive movements. He did better than me and I congratulate him. He’s playing really well.” … Nadal
This result is definitely a jolt for Rafa ahead of the Aussie Open. In a season where he would be looking to assert his credentials over Djokovic after a torrid 2011, defeats against lesser mortals against Monfils don’t look good, one bit.
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