One of tennis’s greatest entertainers could be making his final appearance at the French Open on Monday afternoon.
The effervescent Gael Monfils has announced that this will be his last season on the ATP Tour, and oddsmakers project that he won’t have an easy time extending his lap of honor with a win in Round 1.
Hugo Gaston, another Frenchman, is a slight favorite over Monfils in this high-drama showdown.
Monfils vs. Gaston odds, prediction
No player in tennis is more fun to handicap than Monfils. He’s an incredible athlete, but he’s also a showman, and the Parisian will know the assignment for this contest. Under the lights, on centre court, Monfils wants to give his devoted fans at least one more magical night.
That will make this match quite a spectacle. Monfils wants to win, but he’ll be up to his usual antics, trying to pull off shots that no other player would even think to attempt, especially in a coin-flip match in a Grand Slam.
Against more composed, superior opponents, Monfils would probably want to reel it in a bit, but Gaston is hardly an intimidating draw for the 39-year-old.
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While Monfils’ form is also uninspiring, Gaston is just 2-7 in his last nine matches and has several losses to players ranked outside the top 100. This will also be quite a unique atmosphere for Gaston.
The native of Southern France has probably dreamed about playing on centre court at Roland Garros, but he will have the crowd against him on this occasion. Nobody wants him to turn the lights out on Monfils.
And it’s not just the crowd he’ll need to navigate. This is the first meeting between Gaston and Monfils, and there is no other player who goes about his business like La Monf.
He’s unpredictable, powerful, and knows how to feed off the energy of the fans better than just about any player in tennis.
In normal circumstances, maybe Gaston is able to outlast Monfils, but the outgoing star should have his legs under him for this one.
The Play: Monfils moneyline (-106, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.