Novak Djokovic indicators Cincinnati Open opponent’s shirt after thrashing him once more
Gael Monfils is likely to be sick of the sight of Novak Djokovic dealing with him on the reverse finish of a tennis court docket, however a minimum of he has a memento to remove from his newest defeat to the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
The pair had been drawn collectively within the third spherical of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday and a fast glimpse on the historical past books confirmed that the French 36-year-old didn’t stand a lot of an opportunity in opposition to the world No 2.
In their 18 earlier conferences, Djokovic has received all of them. And the consequence on Cincinnati’s centre court docket was no totally different this time round, because the Serb cruised to a routine 6-3, 6-2 victory with the minimal of fuss.
Djokovic’s nineteenth straight win in opposition to Monfils implies that the previous world No 1 now holds the report for essentially the most one-sided head-to-head streak within the Open period. That title was beforehand held by Rafael Nadal, together with his 18-0 report in opposition to Richard Gasquet.
Veteran Monfils is ranked 211th on this planet and was unlikely to expect a unique consequence in opposition to on the sport’s true all-time greats, however he nonetheless left with a parting reward from his conqueror.
The Frenchman shared {a photograph} on Twitter of his shirt signed by Djokovic with the phrases “Sorry. Not Sorry” written on the garment by the Serb.
Monfils tweeted: “It may not have been the match I was hoping for against the GOAT, but it’s still an honor and a pleasure to face @DjokerNole. Despite everything, it remains a positive week. I’m going to rest to be on top at the US Open. Thank you so much for your incredible support.”
Despite clearly having the higher hand in opposition to his lower-ranked opponent, Djokovic acknowledged their many conferences after the match.
He mentioned: “It was kind of an evolution of both players over the past 15-plus years that we’ve been playing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors.
“I think early on I struggled a lot with him, I think physically as well. When you play one of the most athletic guys on the tour, you have to be ready, every ball comes back. A couple of points today, especially in the first set he showed his athleticism.”
Djokovic solely dropped 4 factors on his serve within the first set and broke Monfils to like in recreation eight. The second set was much more one-side with the three-time US Open winner racing right into a 5-0 lead earlier than ultimately closing out the set and the match 6-2.
“I just managed to hold my serve really comfortably. I think I was hitting the spots well, and just made him play,” Djokovic mentioned. “He made a few unforced errors at 4-3 in the first set to hand me the break.
“After that it was no looking back for me. I started to raise the level more and more, almost a flawless second set. I guess his game suits me. It’s nice to see him back. We haven’t played for quite a few years. It’s great to see him back playing at a high level.”
Monfils has solely just lately returned to the tour after accidents ruined his 2022 marketing campaign. Djokovic will now face top-ranked American Taylor Fritz within the quarterfinal within the early hours of Saturday morning (BST).