The pragmatic pro in Gael Monfils would like to have finished off his first-round win in straight sets against up-and-coming fellow Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Australian Open.
The entertainer's instinct in him got a lot of value out of clinching it in five.
In a duel between the 38-year-old Monfils and 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard, it was age, experience and endurance that outweighed power and youth — helping nullify one of the biggest serves in tennis.
Days after Monfils became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title after beating Zizou Bergs the final in Auckland, New Zealand, Monfils wasted match points in the third set and on Mpetshi Perricard’s serve in the fifth before finally clinching a 7-6 (7), 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory.
When he claimed his 13th tour title at 38 years, 132 days last weekend, he took over from Roger Federer, who was 38 years, 74 days old when he won the final tour title of his career in Switzerland.
Monfils and Mpetshi Perricard entered the match at opposite ends of the career spectrum, but share a passion for their sport. Both use between-the-legs shots at times during rallies, and sometimes take the unconventional approach to setting up points.
With a career record of 34-18 as the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2016 and 2022, Monfils had the advantage against a player on debut at Melbourne Park.
Mpetshi Perricard had never advanced beyond the first round at any major other than Wimbledon (where he reached the fourth round as a lucky loser last year) but he was seeded 30th after a breakout year in 2024 that included two titles.
Monfils, who has won more Grand Slam singles matches than any other French man, now also has a 20-19 win-loss record in five-set matches.
After winning the trophy in Auckland, he said "I’ve been enjoying myself since the first day I played tennis and (at) 60 years old I will still have this joy."
No. 13 Holger Rune also needed five sets to beat Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, No. 19 Karen Khachanov advanced over Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-3, and 2022 semifinalist Matteo Berrettini beat Cameron Norrie 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.
No. 4 Taylor Fritz, runner-up at the US Open and the ATP Finals and part of the US team that won the United Cup last week, needed less than two hours for a 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 win over Jenson Brooksby in other Day 3 matches.
"Sometimes when you’re playing really good at the end of the year, that off-season almost a little bit kills the momentum," Fritz said, but "I’ve been playing pretty well since the start of the year. United Cup I played pretty good. There’s no reason for me not to be very confident."
No. 8 Emma Navarro needed 3 hours and 20 minutes and rallied from 5-3 down in the third set to beat fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the women’s first round.
By contrast, sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina overpowered 16-year-old Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-1 and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina advanced in straight sets.
A semifinalist at the US Open last year, Navarro was seeded in the top eight at a major for the first time and was completing a set of appearances on the center courts at the Grand Slams with her first appearance on Rod Laver Arena.
"One of the more unique matches I’ve played in a while, I think," Navarro said. "Definitely did not have my best stuff today. It was just relying a lot, I guess, on my grit and toughness and fight.
"She had a lot of moments there where she could have maybe closed it out or run away with it. I just tried to stay really tough."
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, had a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) win over No. 26-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova out on Court 3, where a scattering of British flags fluttered in a light breeze.
In her first match since November, the 22-year-old British player had 15 double-faults, made 30 unforced errors and won just 30% of points on her second serve. But she was good enough in the big moments, with 22 winners and nine aces, to claw her way into the second round.
"It was difficult. It was quite hot out there, getting quite sunny. Obviously playing against a really experienced and seeded opponent who is playing great tennis," Raducanu said. "I’m very proud of how I fought and how I overcame certain situations in that match."
She’ll next play Amanda Anisimova, who had a 6-2, 6-3 win over Maria Carle.
