2010 Davis Cup Final: Preview – Novak Djokovic vs. Gael Monfils
With France leading the score 2-1 after second day of the Davis Cup (DC) Final, Serbia now looks to their number one Novak Djokovic to tie the score once again. With the doubles over on Saturday, the DC Final now enters the reverse
singles on Sunday.
Set at Belgrade Arena, first time finalists Serbia host nine time winners France for the DC Final this weekend. With one win each, the score was tied between the two teams at 1-1 on Friday. On Saturday, French Arnaud Clement and
Michael Llodra defeated the Serbs Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki to go one up in the lead.
Hoping desperately for a win at their debut appearance, the pressure on Djokovic is in full form as he meets Monfils for the first reverse singles match of the day.
Djokovic earlier met French Gilles Simon in his opening match at the DC Final. Capitalizing on the home court advantage and driven by the desire of a debut appearance win, Djokovic thrashed Simon in straight sets. Enjoying a 6-3,
6-1, 7-5 win over the French, Djokovic managed to tie up with France, reawakening Serbia’s hope of a win.
Ranked third in the ATP rankings, only below Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic is Serbia’s ace. He finished the season only last week after his semi final run at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. After winning
against Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych, Djokovic moved into the semi final where he met eventual champion Roger Federer. Although he failed to make it to the finals, the Serb has had a good run this season. After successfully defending his titles at Beijing
and Dubai and making final appearances at Basel and the prestigious United States Open, Djokovic finished the season with an impressive 59-18 win-loss mark.
Djokovic not only has a higher ranking than Monfils, but he also has a perfect lead in the pair’s head to head. Having first met in the round of 128 in the 2005 United States Open, the pair has met four times since. Djokovic to-date
enjoys a five-match winning streak over the French. Their latest meeting was in the quarterfinal of the 2010 United States Open where he defeated Monfils in straight sets, winning the match 7-6(2), 6-1, 6-2.
Although Monfils has never won against the Serb, however he has been in-form as of late. Making it to the finals at the Paris Masters after defeating Federer in the semis, Monfils has proven that he has what it takes to match up
with those ranked higher than him. Currently ranked 12th in the ATP Rankings, Monfils won the home title at Montpellier. In addition to the Paris Masters, he also made final appearances at Tokyo and Stuttgart. Monfils finished off his regular ATP
season with a win loss mark of 45-19.
Apart from enjoying the home court advantage, Djokovic is practically driven by patriotism. He said, “France already won titles, while for Serbia, which broke into the top tennis echelon over the past three years, this is a
chance of a lifetime, maybe a unique opportunity to win this trophy in front of the home crowd".
Although statistically Djokovic is a clear-cut winner, one can never be too sure about the results. Maybe Monfils will be able to turn the tide this time. However, Djokovic’s passion to win one for the Homeland and superior skills
do suggest otherwise.
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