Mallorca Championships 2024: Dominic Thiem vs Gael Monfils preview, head-to-head, prediction
Match Details
Fixture: [WC] Dominic Thiem vs (6) Gael Monfils
Date: TBD
Tournament: Mallorca Championships 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, Spain
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Grass
Prize money: €932,135
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Dominic Thiem vs Gael Monfils preview
The first round of the 2024 Mallorca Championships will have two former top-10 players — Dominic Thiem and Gael Monfils — lock horns in an exciting encounter.
Monfils, the seventh seed at this year’s tournament, will be playing in his first grasscourt event of the season. The Frenchman has had the least amount of success on the surface over the course of his long and illustrious career, with only one of his 34 finals coming on grass.
He comes into the grass swing with a modest 13-13 win-loss record for the season and will be looking to build some momentum heading into Wimbledon.
For Thiem, who is playing in his farewell season, the Mallorca Championships also mark a first grasscourt appearance in 2024.
The Austrian has managed only sporadic play in the last few years and there’s only so much that one can read into his 2-4 win-loss for the season. He has not won a main-draw match since the start of April.
Dominic Thiem vs Gael Monfils head-to-head
Thiem leads Monfils in their current head-to-head by a comfortable 6-0 margin. The duo, however, have not locked horns since 2020 and have never played each other on grass.
Dominic Thiem vs Gael Monfils odds
(Odds will be updated once available.)
Dominic Thiem vs Gael Monfils prediction
Their past head-to-head notwithstanding, Gael Monfils will enter the contest as a favorite to come out on top.
The Frenchman is a dynamic player who likes to come forward and mix things up with slices and short angles, qualities that are rewarded on grass. And while he often finds himself being outhit against the big ball-strikers, he should not face that problem against Dominic Thiem.
At his best, Thiem’s groundstrokes could push any opponent onto the backfoot. However, since his return to sport from injuries, he has been unable to hit with the consistency that saw him rise to the top of the sport.
His serve is unlikely to pose too much trouble for Monfils. The Frenchman is the fitter, quicker of the two and if he can stand his ground during Thiem’s occasional hot streak, he should be able to wear his opponent down.
Prediction: Monfils to win in three sets.