Madrid Open 2022: 3 things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's win over Gael Monfils

Novak Djokovic beat Gael Monfils convincingly at the Madrid Open

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at the Manolo Santana Stadium in Madrid on Tuesday. Djokovic is now 18-0 against Monfils, an ATP tour record.

The Serb will play Andy Murray in the next round on Thursday.

On that note, let’s take a look at three factors that stood out in the match:

#1 Both players were jittery before rain disrupted play

Both players looked a tad rusty at the start of the match. Monfils hit a few shots way beyond the baseline and Djokovic committed a double fault in each of his first three service games. Monfils had two break point opportunities in the third game of the first set, but Djokovic was able to save both and went on to hold his serve.

Monfils then held his serve to level the score at 2-2. Rain started pouring down with the score at deuce in the fifth game. The match was disrupted for more than an hour and the break seemed to help Novak Djokovic as his serve improved soon after and he did not commit another double fault in the match.

#2 Novak Djokovic got the break after the match resumed and won the first set

Djokovic, with renewed enthusiasm, managed to break Monfils in the sixth game of the first set. Monfils made his job easier by committing a double fault on break point.

Djokovic then went on to hold his serve in the following game and won the first set convincingly. Despite hitting many winners with his powerful forehand, Monfils also committed a lot of unforced errors off that wing. The Frenchman did not play enough angular shots to make Djokovic run from side to side. He also failed to hit drop shots to drag the Serb to the net.

As a result, Novak Djokovic’s court coverage was not tested and the Serb was able to dictate terms from the baseline with his accurate groundstrokes.

#3 Novak Djokovic won the second set easily as Gael Monfils struggled with unforced errors

Monfils was error-prone with his groundstrokes against Novak Djokovic

Monfils’ propensity to commit unforced errors continued in the second set as Djokovic broke him in the third and seventh games. Moreover, Djokovic, being the best returner of all time, was repeatedly able to punish Monfils’ second serve. The Frenchman could only win 41% of the points off his second serve during the match.

Monfils was unable to convert any of his break point opportunities despite getting five of them in the match. Djokovic, on the other hand, converted each of his three opportunities.

Monfils ended the match with 31 unforced errors, with 20 of them coming off his forehand. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, remained disciplined and committed only 15 unforced errors. The Serb won the majority of the longer rallies as the Frenchman was error-prone on the day.

Also Check Out: Gael Monfils Parents