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Gael Monfils Plays His Final Roland-Garros Match After Losing 1st Round · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Paris raised him. Roland Garros loved him and he gave
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: every ounce of it back in true Monfiste fashion, battling
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: back down two sets to the very end. He played
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: tennis to make the crowd fall in love. And proof
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: of that love.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: It is after midnight here in Paris, and not a
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: soul has left Chatrier, not a person has moved from
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  Speaker 2: their seat here in Musketeers Square, as they are honoring
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: the career of Gael Monfese. This was his nineteenth and
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: final Rolling Garros, a true legend in Paris, tied for.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: The most wins at Rolling Garos all time with the
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: French Open champion Johnny Camel. They give him a piece
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: of that play the terra batoo, every layer meaningful, every
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: moment with Montfeese has been as well for Guyel. They're
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: going to continue to honor Guyel. We're going to take
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: you through the day. Good evening to everyone on the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: East coast, good afternoon on the west. It is good morning.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: It's already Tuesday here in Paris. Caroline Wose, Nyaki, Sam Query, Johnsner,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Adam Lefgo. These people haven't moved, No one has left.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Shot Tree. Let's relive this match, and we'll continue the
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: celebration of guyel Monthees taking on former fellow Frenchman Hugo Gastone.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: It was all Gastone early in this one.
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: It sure was Gastone actually hadn't went of match on
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: the tour level prior to the match tonight. Right, So
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: going into this not like mont Geese has been lighting
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: up this year, but you thought, hey, this is a
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: good drop for Montfest playing another Frenchman who hasn't been
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: playing well. But it was Gaston, the fancy leftigue Frenchman
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: who kind of came out, was the one pulling off
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: some crazy shots. Check out this point right here. This
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: is We had a ton of points like that during
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: this match. Right, It's what you expected from two French players.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: You got the dramatics, you got the drop shots, you
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: got the injury timeouts, you got the long bathroom breaks.
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: If there was a match for a guy to go
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: out on, it was this type of match.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Gaston twenty five years old. This is one of his
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: heroes growing up. Third set, Classic month Feast, the.
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: Classic mar Fiece. Just like he did last year in
• 2:41
  Speaker 4: the first round. I got down two sets. Clive, you
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: knew he was not going to go away quietly. That's
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: exactly what happened. Gets the break right here to go
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: up by three. The crowd is fired up. He gives
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: everyone at speak this is what we're accustomed to seeing
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: from Monthie at this tournament here in Roland. Guiros takes
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: the third set home here. Now the whole crowd is
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: on their feet, and you knew this at this point.
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: He knew as a matter of fact, it was going
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: to go five sets, and.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: That's exactly what happened.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: Got up at early break in the fourth another unbelievable
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: drop shot right there, and you know, gat Stone's one
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: of the fastest guys on tour. Couldn't couldn't catch up
• 3:15
  Speaker 4: to that one. But Bontfie started serving bigger, hitting bigger,
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: hitting the crowd on the thing, which was just surprising. Obviously,
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: no one expected the fifth set result which we all
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: just witnessed. He just ran out of gas in the
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: fifth set. I think all the years in the miles
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: kind of eventually a culmination all that just took its
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: hole in the fifth set for Guyel and unfortunately he
• 3:38
  Speaker 4: went down seven excuse me six zero in the fifth set.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: We thought it was going to be a close.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Encounter or even you know Montfeast was going to win
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: easily wasn't to be. Did not see guest Stone winning
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: six to zero in the fifth. It was a bittersweet,
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: sweet ending for Guayel.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: It was one of those moments where the magician may
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: have used his last trick. It felt like it was
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: all scripted. It felt like we knew what was going
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: to happen. This is a live look his wife Elena
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: spin Alina, who pulled off an incredible comeback of her own.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Emotions are on high at the end of his reign
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: at Rolling Dallas.
• 4:14
  Speaker 5: Yeah, this is going to be a session of emotional
• 4:17
  Speaker 5: day and night for this family. Obviously, this tournament means
• 4:21
  Speaker 5: so much to gel he has played here nineteen times.
• 4:23
  Speaker 5: It's watching I mean, I don't know. I don't think
• 4:28
  Speaker 5: they really can complimend what's going on yet. I think
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: they'll go home and they can really realize everything that's
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: happened over the last many years, had the opportunity.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: To play here, all right, Guya mon fis one of
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the greats, not just on the court, off the court,
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: a great human being. Hats off to him.
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: I feel like we should be a little more lively.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: This is very somber tone right now.
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: I know he lost, he wasn't going to be a tournament,
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: but it's actually people don't also to remember this is
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: not the end of his career. Oh yeah, he's actually
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: playing the rest of the year. I don't know how
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: many tournaments he's going to play. He is going to
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: end his career in Paris at the indoor event at
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: the end of the year.
• 5:09
  Speaker 5: But this is a tournament that means most absolutely, but he's.
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: Going to get to Paris sindoffs that's on feast.
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  Speaker 5: So and I think he almost thought it was on purpose.
• 5:19
  Speaker 5: He lost the first two, said just to get this five.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: I think he did, you know, I think so. So
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: it's typical.
• 5:24
  Speaker 5: He's like, you know what, I'm gonna come out here.
• 5:26
  Speaker 5: I don't think he took into consideration that he is,
• 5:29
  Speaker 5: you know, forty years old and he doesn't have the
• 5:31
  Speaker 5: gas anymore for a fifth set.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: I like that, You're like, let's celebrate.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: Sam said earlier that he, you know, he doesn't like
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: winning in comprehensive fashion. He'd almost rather play a five
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: setter and lose in dramatic fashion. You know, you never
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: want to see the six to zero and the fifth.
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: But the fact that this match went to five sets,
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: I don't think surprises no.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: One is there. You told me a story we were
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: walking to the green room earlier. You had an experience
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: at the US Open with mon Fees. He has the
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: ability to turn any crowd against their home player. That
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: happened to you in New York City.
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I played him in a night match there and
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: I got up on him early, and then you know,
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: you know, the US Open night crowd, they want to
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: see more tennis, and on feast. In the third set
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: down two sets of love, kind of came back, hit
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: some crazy shofts sure to started getting the crowd on
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: their feet, and they started drinking more in the crowd
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: and they just wanted to see more tennis.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: Now, next thing I know, the New York crowd.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: Is chanting him on Fist's name, and a night match
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: in New York City with me playing him, but it
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: was it's what he does. He just has a flair
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: for the dramatic. He's such a showman out there, so
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: much fun to watch. In my mind, he's I think
• 6:34
  Speaker 4: he's the greatest athlete our sport has ever seen. I
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: would put him up there with the greatest athletes of
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: all time. He's that quick and that athletic on the court.
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: What he could do in his prime second to none.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: How many years later did it take you to forgive
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: the New York crowd?
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: Oh no, I was I overreacted initially. No, No, They
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: wanted more tennis, and I would have wanted more tennis
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: if I was them as well, and they got some more.
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: So it was a you know, it's us OAP and
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: that's that's what they want.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: But you're right, positive video is what is needed when
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: talking about guy a month Fees. There's not a sad
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: bone in that man's body. The joy he brings to
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: everyone is palpable, totally.
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: Look, we could play a highlight reel light right now
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: of Gayle Montfees's greatest shots. It would go on for days. Honestly,
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: he's got that jumping overhead, He's sliding all over the court.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: He was one of those players that was loved everywhere
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: in the world. While you were playing in America, in
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: South America, in the Middle East, in Asia, it didn't matter.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: People were buying a ticket to watch this man play.
• 7:28
  Speaker 5: I couldn't agree more. I think if you show a player,
• 7:31
  Speaker 5: you can show a rap up play, you can show
• 7:33
  Speaker 5: a Roger plan, and you have to explain that to
• 7:36
  Speaker 5: our kid. Okay, why does it make Why are they
• 7:38
  Speaker 5: so great?
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: Right?
• 7:39
  Speaker 5: And you start showing them matches and this and that
• 7:42
  Speaker 5: and maybe they understand. So a kid you show month feest,
• 7:44
  Speaker 5: you show him one rally and they'll understand, Wow, that
• 7:48
  Speaker 5: was really cool I did at Sweener. They jumped, they cramped.
• 7:51
  Speaker 5: I mean, there's a lot of drama going on even
• 7:53
  Speaker 5: in one rally, and you can really explain all of
• 7:55
  Speaker 5: monk fees and one point.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's not about the stats. Sometimes it's about the showmanship.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: It's about the joy that a sport puts inside of you.