By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday February 28, 2020
Gael Monfils had Novak Djokovic just where he wanted him. He had saved five set points, and now had the Serb triple match point down in a second set tiebreaker with the Frenchman holding the balls to serve.
Not only would Monfils have three match points to play with, the first two would be on his serve.
Moments later, with all the match points erased, Monfils would save two more set points. That would be the last bit of good news for Monfils on the day, however.
At 8-8 in the breaker Djokovic punched a forehand down the line to force an error from the speedy Monfils. Set point No.8, here we come, with Monfils to serve.
Double fault..
Just like that Djokovic had driven his rusty nail into the Monfils coffin and taken a giant step towards his latest great escape. Improbably, he had wrestled control of a match that was thoroughly controlled by the flying Frenhman for the better part of the first two sets.
Vintage Djokovic clutch.
“It was truly an escape,” Djokovic would later say. “He was clearly the better player for two sets. I was fortunate to kind of work my way back in the second set.
For Monfils, who started this match doing everything right as he attempted to finally solve the Djokovic riddle that has plagued him over the course of the pairs 16-plus meetings in 15 years in seven different countries, the train was now off the rails. His body, which had begun to ail him more and more as he has racked up 12 consecutie wins and two titles in February, finally let him down.
Spent, Monfils had nothing to give in the third set and Djokovic waltzed to victory, making it 17-0 on the season and, even more impressive, 17-0 lifetime against Monfils.
Djokovic, relieved as he started to ponder the challenge of facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, had nothing but praise for Monfils after the match.
“I had set points at 5-4 and 6-5, but Gael, I think he’s playing as well as he has played ever,” Djokovic. “I have played him many times, and it is very difficult to go through him. What he did today for two sets was just unbelievable. I’m sorry for him but great effort.”
The World No.1 stretches his overall winning streak to 20—it’s the seventh time that Djokovic has won at least 20 matches on the trot in his illustrious career.
“I guess today was one of the matches where I just had to hold my nerves in important moments and wait for another chance to appear, and when it does, try to use it,” Djokovic said. “I wasn’t very successful with my set points, many missed opportunities at 5-4 and 6-5.”
The Serb has made a habit out of winning, with and without drama, and he admitted that his success today wasn’t all about his ability to stay calm when the walls are closing in on him.
“I just hoped he was going to miss his first serve, that’s what happened on both match points and it gave me a chance to get into the rally,” Djokovic said of his escape. “I Played really well from that point onwards. He had an injury that didn’t give him a chance to play as well as he did for the first couple of hours. I wish him all the best, I hope he recovers quickly because if he plays this way he is going to be one of the best players in the world this year.”
Djokovic owns a 2-2 lifetime record against Tsitsipas. The Greek powered past Dan Evans earlier on Friday, dropping just nine points on serve to reach his second consecutive final in Dubai.
“Stefanos is one of the leaders of the next generation,” Djokovic said. “He’s very dedicated, very talented, he’s a very charismatic guy, very interesting off the court, very nice, I’d known him since he was really young. He’s proving that his potential and his talent is worthy. He has played some great tennis this week, he’s in form and he’s confident.”
More to follow…