Gael Monfils lost two tiebreaks in his loss to David Nalbandian in the 3rd round of the men's French Open singles, and it was primarily because of mental-game weakness.
Watching Gael Monfils lose to David Nalbandian today (6-7,7-5, 4-6, 6-7) I wondered if he would ever maximize his talent. John McEnroe said repeatedly that “he makes life more difficult on himself” in regards to the way he plays. Watching the first full match I’ve watched him play, I understand exactly what McEnroe means.
Although Monfils is bigger and apparently stronger than David Nalbandian, he consistently allowed Nalbandian to dictate play and made crucial errors when he had the upper hand on several occasions, particularly in both tiebreaks played. On big points, Monfils either overplayed shots, or passively hit balls down the middle of the court for Nalbandian to with what he willed.
Monfils played almost the entire match about 12 feet behind the baseline. Frequently, he inexplicably sliced balls down the middle of the court, relinquishing an advantage he had gained by hitting forceful shots that pulled Nalbandian off the court. It doesn't take tennis genius in such situations to know that another forceful shot would almost guarantee winning the point. Double-faults during tiebreaks, missing easy returns of serve, all were present and signs of mental game shortcomings in Monfils.
As I watched, I understood why Monfils’ supporters have been disappointed, as detailed by the announcers. It appears that Monfils isn’t sure which game he wants to play. He seems to suffer from “Tennizophrenia,” and his different personalities surface, not just during the course of a match, but also during individual points. Determining when to play offense and when to play defense is a very basic element of one’s tennis game, and Monfils seems to be missing that element.
Perhaps his new affiliation with Tarik Benhabiles, former ATP Player and former coach of Andy Roddick, Monfils will be able to construct a mental game to match his physical skills. Without a sound mental game, particularly the ability to think clearly and focus at crunch-time, even the best physical gifts won’t result in winning at the highest levels of competitive tennis. There’s no question that Monfils has considerable physical talent. The question remains as to whether he can find the mind to match.
