Gaël Monfils gets candid on YouTube about Big 3 rivalries: Djokovic’s unbeatable answers, Nadal’s physical dominance, Federer’s mental edge – with a poignant career confession.
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On the YouTube channel Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network, Gaël Monfils opened up about the Big 3, whom he’s faced multiple times. The only one he’s never beaten is Novak Djokovic, and he explained why.
He stated: “For me, No. 1 is Novak Djokovic. I’ve never beaten him. Never. And right now, this year might be my last chance to face him.
“Tennis Is a World of Questions”
But for me, Novak had this ability to answer all my questions. Because tennis is a world of questions. You pose a question, they answer; you pose another question, they answer again. He was simply too strong. And of course, he’s a legend of our sport. So there’s no shame in that.
Rafa, I could beat him, but the fact is he beat me far more often than I beat him. I think I only beat him twice.
But he was extremely tough to face, especially because of his physicality. He imposed a massive, intimidating presence, like in a really grueling and physical match.
“Magnificent to Learn from Them”
Federer was a quicker player mentally and on court. Anything you could imagine doing against him, he already knew before you did, and then he’d put you in a very tricky situation.
And in a way, these three guys, three of the greatest legends of our sport, were simply magnificent to face, magnificent to learn from.”