TORONTO -- World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was nearly upset -- and upstaged -- by the flashy Frenchman, Gael Monfils.
In a wild two-hour and 40 minute spectacle, Monfils threw everything he had at Djokovic - including his racquet, body, and head (at the ball) before ultimately coming up short against the three-time Rogers Cup champion who he called “simply the best.”
As the one facing a barrage of unpredictable shots, Djokovic said - with sincerity - "He's probably the only guy in the world, tennis player, that I would pay a ticket to watch a match.
"He's really fun to watch but not so much fun to play against." (This time he was laughing.)
And in case you’re wondering why Monfils chased down a ball despite already throwing his racquet?
“Fun,” he said, as if he’d been asked if the sky was blue.
“Always nice to play against the world No. 1, in a big stadium,” Monfils said. “When you play tennis, you play for that, those matches, I always enjoy.”
Clearly.
Monfils' antics aside, Djokovic had to fight himself in a tense third set to force a tiebreak, uncharacteristically struggling with his trademark down-the-line backhand (4 winners vs. 26 unforced errors on the backhand), before prevailing 6-2, 6-7, 7-6.
"I tried to take the positives from this long match, and those are obviously the fact that I stayed over two‐and‐a‐half hours on the court," said Djokovic.
"That helps obviously to play a little bit more, to feel the court, to feel the conditions... I'm not feeling tired, I'm not exhausted, [even though] I haven't played a tournament for four weeks. I of course look forward to compete more."
Earlier in the day, Andy Murray shrugged in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Australian upstart Nick Kyrgios in front of a packed stadium court crowd.
Murray, playing in his first match since Wimbledon, looked fit, fast and sharp as he dismantled the 19-year-old’s massive serve and whippy strokes.
“I thought I did most things like pretty solid. I didn't make too many errors. I moved well. High first‐serve percentage,” said Murray. “It was a solid match for a first match back after sort of four‐and‐a‐half, five weeks. I was happy.”
Back concerns behind him, the Scot is optimistic about the push to the US Open, but isn’t taking anything for granted in a stacked Toronto draw that could see him facing Djokovic in the quarters.
“It's a tough draw, but, you know, it's also good to play against someone like a Novak if you get that opportunity in the buildup to the US Open,” he said. “You really see where your game is at.”
Murray will play Richard Gasquet next. Also advancing in the day session were David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Robredo, Marin Cilic, Julien Benneteau, Kevin Anderson and Ivan Dodig.
