"Tennis needs you" says Sinner about fan favourite Monfils

Gael Monfils is a tennis player universally beloved around the globe for his entertainment skills on the court.

The Frenchman is well known in the tennis community for his affinity to entertain the crowd even in moments when he really should be focused on winning a point or game. The attitude might have cost Monfils a few matches and titles in his career however the Frenchman never hid the fact that he simply enjoys playing in front of big crowds.

At the Sofia Open he reached his first final since the pandemic started which was great to see for many including Jannik Sinner who admitted during the victory speech:

“First of all Gael, great week [for you]. [You were] unlucky in some moments today. But, we had some great fights, great matches. Obviously congrats to you and your team. Tennis needs you, it really needs you. So, thanks for staying here in tough moments, like this, without crowds. I know you don’t like that. But, hopefully, soon everything is going to be normal. So, good luck to you.”

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Monfils was one of the players hit the hardest by playing in front of empty stadiums and that was reflected in his results. The Frenchman barely won any matches in the two year period and elected to skip multiple events having no motivation to play without fans. Ever since fans started returning, his play got better and that was great to see.

Sinner is right for saying that tennis needs Monfils as there are not a lot entertainers on the Tour and the Frenchman is someone fans always flock to see.