ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 9, 2022

Gael Monfils

Press Conference

G. MONFILS/K. Khachanov

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: What are you most pleased with with your own game this week in Adelaide?

GAEL MONFILS: With my game? Just the consistent that I had. I think I played very solid all these matches, was moving well. For me it's a key, always to move good, then I can be more aggressive, use more my forehand, use more my serve.

I have this big confidence of my movement, and I had it, so I was pleased with that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you think you're shaping up going into the Australian Open compared to previous seasons?

GAEL MONFILS: Better. I'm doing better. I can't remember which year, but it was been great tennis. Unfortunately I haven't played that good at the AO. I lost to Fritz, but then I won Rotterdam, was playing very, very good tennis. It was great. I had a great shape.

I know the thing is always to keep the momentum, keep all this confidence that you have. The goal is to keep all this confidence to bring into next week. Not starting tomorrow, but next week, to be ready to try to compete for big AO.

Q. It's been a couple of years since you won a title. This must be a nice situation to have broken the dry period. What do you think made the difference this week?

GAEL MONFILS: To be honest, I just found it long this pandemia period. I just see how I see in my head. It's not even counting.

For me, as I say yesterday, I was playing the best tennis, I clutch two title. Last year was obviously very different. I'm very happy to clutch this one straightaway.

Still at the end of the year start like mid, end of the year, felt much better, playing much better, feeling better. Fans are back. Everything was moving in a better way. It was just me to find a little bit my confidence back and to try to play week after week. It's what I did. Then I have a crack on one week. Obviously lucky enough to win this one this week.

Q. A nice statistic as well: that was your 515th match win. Did you know that?

GAEL MONFILS: I knew 500 because when I beat de Minaur in Cincinnati it was 500. I didn't count at all. I knew in Cincinnati last year.

Q. As you start a new year, how different are you feeling? Is that the biggest thing for you to make a difference, crowds coming back?

GAEL MONFILS: Yeah, I think is one of the biggest thing. Also my adaptation was slower, much slower, than the other guys.

I think also we are just human a little bit. The pandemia hit me quite bad, even in my personal life a little bit. Just didn't feel like right. It was just tougher. I was just struggling myself.

Of course, you know you're an athlete, you play in front of the world. It's tough to battle with your own personal problem in a way. Nothing big, but just tough. It was tough for me. Then just keep fighting and just keep talking and have my family help me a lot, my wife obviously. That put me back in the track.