Watching a tournament that is taking place in Canada means you have to sacrifice sleep if you want to watch the last matches. This morning (for me), there was a very important match I wanted to watch and for that I had to wake up at 3.20 am. Last night I decided not to set the alarm as I knew I'm not going to be able to wake up and I didn't. I went to sleep without setting the alarm bu my mind obviously knew better and woke up at 3.40 am. Can you believe it? I still can't.
The truth is, John Isner is the only tennis player I'm willing to wake up for at 3.20 am to watch the match. He's No. 30 ATP at the moment but for me he's No. 1 for technical ponit of view.
So this morning John Isner met the French Gaël Monfils, who's 2 years younger and situates 8 places higher on the ATP ranking list. However, age and ranking is not everything and he outcome of the match as well as the way it went, proves it.
Isner has been present at most of the tournaments this year, while Monfils had changed his trainer and they say he is getting better after an one and a half year eclipse. His presence at this level starting to show he's making progress. But after the match I've just watched, I'm having serious doubts about his shiny future in tennis.
Monfils is known for his famous slides, especially on clay and hețs called Sliderman, occasionally. At the beginning of the first set we saw some sliding from him, or maybe I should say, imitation of sliding as you can't slide on hard. I had the feeling that it was much more than avoiding getting injured, as he tried to make a show but wasn't sure.
The first set was pure joy. Two professionals fighting for every point. I was actually impressed how good Monfils was playing. I've seen him playing a few times but he's never been this good, so the change of trainer seemed like paying off.
He tried an very interesting shot, by first faking hitting the ball while staying with his back to Isner, then he hit the ball and sent it to a spot where Isner could not reach it. It was definitely a nice but very risky move, but it was visible he's doing it for the show
Isner had to fight for every point as well, till they got to tie-break. The American is known to win almost all the tie-breaks he plays and he won this time as well.
The second set was very different from the first one and it's safe to say it was shocking, for me at least. I was expecting a similar set as the first one, in which one of them plays less well, due to fatigue or something like that. Instead I got something I truly hate. At some point I had the impression of watching the French version of Nick Kyrgios.
At the beginning of the second set Monfils started to entertain the viewers, by dancing, making steps left and right while waiting for Isner to serve. Isner didn't let himself bothered by Monfils decision and continued playing, but the French's act was disrespectful. At first glance you may say he wanted to distract his opponent's focus, which failed, obviously. Then after that at some point he started conversing with his trainer, wasting more time.
This was when the chair umpire had enough and gave him a warning, which annoyed the french. He started arguing with the chair umpire, wasting more time and called the superviser in.
After arguing with the tournament superviser too, the decision was not cancelled, which made him more angry. Usually when a player is angry, nothing good comes from it and this theory was confirmed here as well.
Monfils asked for medical attention, got his ankle bandaged and continued the game protecting his right leg as much as he could, but he wasn't the same player anymore and not because of the supposed injury.
The tantrums he threw on the court got a lot of attention, but it wasn't for his favor. He looked like a kid who threw some tantrums because he could not have what he wanted. After getting the warning, he plaid the victim card, which was even more pathetic.
All this time Isner was waiting patiently, focusing on the task in hand. He did not complain about Monfils wasting time, he just did what he came for.
After Monfis finished his tantrum show, he had a less successful performance and I think it was because of losing focus. He tried to win the viewer's appreciation by trying to entertain them, then by playing the victim card.
Comparing the two players' performance, there was definitely a huge difference. Isner acted like a true professional, he kept his focus all the way and did what he had to, without tantrums. Played at an impeccable level and the only way he tried to impress viewers was by serving and playing well. he had 13 aces, Monfils had 12, but the French had 10 double faults, which at this level can cost you the victory. The American needed only two sets to qualify for the next round.
The reason I wanted to see this match and was willing to sacrifice my sleep time was because the high quality tennis this match looked like to deliver. I'm going to remember it for sure, but have lost respect for Monfils. He got a warning for something that had nothing to do with tennis. This situation could have been avoided and maybe he would have had a chance to win and qualify for the semifinals.
Every player is responsible for their behavior on the court and outside as well. Focus and balance are the most important things to focus on during the match. Monfils still needs to learn that although he's at the end of his career.
Today will be another killer day as Tsitsipas is facing Reilly Opelka. The Greek should win but at this point I'm not sure of anything.
The second semi-final is between Isner and Medvedev. It's going to be a tough one, in which Isner has less chance, but who knows. We'll see at 3am 😃
