World No. 2 Novak Djokovic is in his first tennis tournament since losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz in July.
He has to like his Thursday match at the Western & Southern Open.
Djokovic will face Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Both players are 36 years old and have been fixtures on the ATP tour for years.
The year is 2002, Novak Djokovic beats Gael Monfils 6-2 2-6 7-5 in La Baule, France 🇨🇵
21 years later, they will face each other in Cincinnati R16 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tmgt07bAmJ
— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) August 17, 2023
In spite of Monfils’s tremendous talent and success, he has never beaten Djokovic in 18 meetings.
The question is whether Monfils can crack the code in Cincinnati to earn his first career win over Djokovic.
Monfils’s 0-18 head-to-head record against Djokovic ties his countryman Richard Gasquet’s record against Rafael Nadal.
Watching Gasquet vs Nadal last night got me thinking about other long win streaks over certain opponents that players have and I reckon that Gael Monfils still wakes up from nightmares about this match.
Currently stands at 0-18 vs Novak Djokovic but this one was all but his… pic.twitter.com/RmZyYNzWlI
— Scott Barclay (@BarclayCard18) September 4, 2022
Gael Monfils has enjoyed a career resurgence this summer, and he is coming off two big wins in the tournament over Cam Norrie and Alex de Minaur.
La Monf emotions 🎥🙃
The resurgent @Gael_Monfils posts 7-5 6-4 to overcome de Minaur @CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/7COaSfxa9J
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 16, 2023
Djokovic On Monfils
Monfils is well-liked among his peers, and Djokovic is no exception.
“He’s an amazing guy. Someone I truly respect a lot & like as a person. He brings so much joy & entertainment to the fans. 1 of the most charismatic players we’ve had in 2 decades. Great to see him back after struggling with injuries. He’s playing as good as ever. He’s a year older than me. Everyone talks about my age but what about him? He’s doing amazing. It’s going to be the duel of the veterans tomorrow.”
Novak Djokovic on facing Gael Monfils next:
“He’s an amazing guy. Someone I truly respect a lot & like as a person. He brings so much joy & entertainment to the fans. 1 of the most charismatic players we’ve had in 2 decades. Great to see him back after struggling with injuries.… pic.twitter.com/SFlbHHgNM2
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 17, 2023
Djokovic won his first match at this year’s tournament in 45 minutes after Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina sustained a back injury during the first set and had to retire early in the second set.
Never count out Monfils in this matchup as he had more recent matches than Djokovic, but it is a tall order to beat Novak as he is well aware from his 18 previous attempts.
Watch Monfils vs. Djokovic on Tennis Channel on Thursday night; the match is scheduled to begin at 8:30 PM EDT.
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