Novak Djokovic has joked that he hopes Gael Monfils doesn't win any more matches at the Cincinnati Open ahead of their third-round clash.
23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic will meet former world No. 6 Monfils today, Thursday, August 17. The Serb received a bye in the first round as one of the top seeds, and won the first set 6-4 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his second round before the Spaniard retired with a back injury.
Meanwhile, Monfils won his first match against thirteenth seed Cameron Norrie before going on to defeat Canadian Open finalist Alex de Minaur to make the third round. This comes after the Frenchman reached the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada last week.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the clash, Djokovic joked:
"Obviously he's been winning some big matches last couple weeks. Yeah, hopefully he's not going to win any more this week."
The 36-year-old laughed before continuing to joke about and praise his opponent at the same time.
"I have to say a few nice things about him [Gael Monfils]. It's great to see him play on a high level again after struggling with his injuries for a few years. We cannot forget that he's older than me, because everyone talks about my age.
"I think it's worth saying that he's one year older. It's going to be a duel of veterans tomorrow, so it's going to be quite interesting to see that. He's a fantastic guy. He brings so much entertainment, charisma to the tour, and, you know, fans love him. Players love him. It's great to see him playing so well," he continued.
As they are around the same age, the two men came through the sport together at the same time, and Djokovic recalled some fond memories from their earlier days.
"I remember back in the junior days I played him in some junior tournaments and also in a futures level, actually. I still remember that very well. It's one of my first Tier 1 professional matches. I qualified for the futures," he said.
"It was in Italy, and we played a very late-night match in a bubble on clay in one of those country clubs. It's funny, we go back a very, very long time. [I] Have always admired his athleticism. I think it's phenomenal to watch, for fans, I mean, obviously seeing someone, you know, having fun and entertaining crowds and everyone, it's something that is really good for our sport," he added.
Novak Djokovic on facing Gael Monfils next: “He’s an amazing guy. Someone I truly respect a lot & like as a person. He brings so much joy & entertainment to the fans. 1 of the most charismatic players we’ve had in 2 decades. Great to see him back after struggling with injuries.…
