Energetic Monfils perfect for fast-paced IPTL matches

MANILA, Philippines – Gael Monfils seemed to be tailor-fit for the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) Tour.

Monfils is on a hot streak in the inaugural tournament that was tweaked to make it quicker, livelier and more TV-friendly.

The energetic Frenchman has provided all in breezing past through former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, world No. 6 Andy Murray and US Open champion Marin Cilic in the singles play that helped his team, the Indian Aces, remain the only unbeaten team in the tour.

He’s the quickest and most athletic player in the tour. He’s also providing the comic relief with his on-court antics, and his boundless energy is infectious that it propelled their low-profile team to the top of the IPTL’s first leg.

“I love this format. I love team events. It suits me well. I like to play in Davis Cup so when IPTL called me, I didn’t think twice,” Monfils said after his team swept the Manila leg.

The 6-foot-4 Frenchman has the height of a basketball player, the footwork of a soccer player and the body of a tennis player. All of those were in full display in this tournament, with Monfils winning easily against Hewitt, 6-1, before working hard in upsetting Murray, 6-4, and Cilic, who was later substituted by Tunisian Malek Jaziri, 6-3.

He has brought to Manila the momentum of his straight set win against world no. 2 Roger Federer in Davis Cup just last week. 

The former French No. 1 has become an instant fan favorite with his entertaining dance moves and solid play. He’s feeding off the great energy from the crowd by dancing to the beats in between scoring points from almost all angles.

“The crowd was great. They really get into it. It’s good you know. It’s my first time here in the Philippines and I think the crowd has been great and it’s unbelievable,” Monfils said.

The 28-year-old Monfils is using this tournament to keep his momentum going into next year’s ATP Tour.

“I played good like in the three games. I had a great training and I kept the form. I think I had a good preparation for the Davis Cup so even with the jet lag here, I’m still strong and I feel fit to play tough and I can tell you that I will be tough to beat in 2015,” Monfils said.