Can I be honest? We thought this was over.
When Gaël Monfils crashed into the advertising screens five points into the match, it looked like the Philippe-Chatrier faithful wouldn’t even get a night session, let alone another audience with their hero, the beating heart of French men’s tennis and its greatest conjurer.
When Gaël Monfils was two sets down, it looked like they would be going home early. But Monfils, 38 and in one of the great runs of form of his life, is more than au fait with a late night at Roland Garros.
In 2023, he found himself 0-4 down in the deciding set against Sebastian Báez of Argentina, with cramps so intense that he hobbled around the terre battue like a zealot in search of a congregation. But the roars of the crowd came. The groundstrokes flowed like they have done for so many years. The energy of the stadium propelled Monfils to a 7-5 win.
This time, he needed them for two whole sets. But when he leveled the match, to roars that echoed around Boulogne-Billancourt, it was no surprise.
The stadium is full, bar a few empty seats from people whose work commitments mean that this is too late. Outside, fans without night session tickets are sitting on deckchairs, roaring on a smaller version of their hero on a massive screen.
He leads the final set 3-0, and Hugo Dellien, who likely thought he was on his way to the third round, is fighting just to hold his serve.
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