Neymar plays at PSG with Mbappe & Messi, Gael Monfils doesn't play with Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal; you're alone in tennis: Guy Forget
Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils have carried French tennis on their shoulders for the last decade or so, but none of them have been able to win a Grand Slam title.
In an interview with Paris Match, former World No. 4 Guy Forget said that the sheer quality and versatility of players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal makes it harder for others to win the big tournaments. He emphasized the individual nature of tennis, saying that in football, Neymar has teammates like Lionel Messi and Neymar to help but that Monfils can't play with Federer and Nadal by his side.
"People are sometimes choosy about Gael Monfils or Richard Gasquet but they were 6th and 7th in the world! With this level in football, they would be stars in Barcelona, at Bayern Munich or at Real. And won several Champions Leagues. In tennis, you are alone. Neymar plays at PSG with Mbappe, Messi, Verratti etc… Gael, he doesn't play with Federer on his left and Nadal behind him in defence," Forget said.
Forget recognized that the likes of Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were simply better than this generation of French players. He also said that French players shouldn't be criticised for being unable to win Slams since their best tennis wasn't enough considering the competition.
"The Big Four, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray say, were stronger than them. We praise the technique of Gasquet for example but Federer is much stronger technically. Even Nadal has a better hand than Richard. Djokovic does what he wants with his wrist. Murray has a crazy touch too. I imply that we should not criticize the French players for not having won grand slams because they did not do enough. I'm just saying that if they couldn't go higher, do more, that just means they weren't strong enough to win those tournaments," the former World No. 4 added.
LYON | Gael Monfils, seeded third, gets a first-round bye and awaits countryman Hugo Gaston or qualifier Manuel Guinard in round two.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, playing his penultimate tournament before retiring, starts in the first round against Alex Molcan.
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"To win in tennis, you have to know how to master everything" - Guy Forget
Guy Forget pointed out that to win in tennis, a player has to master "everything" and excel in all key aspects of the game.
"To win in tennis, you have to know how to master everything and be the best in all the key areas of the game," Forget added.
The Frenchman also spoke about the impact federations have on teams and individual sports.
"In team sport, good work by the federations is more profitable, I believe. The number of players trained, the place he can find within a team with his particular qualities, facilitate the emergence of talents. In individual sport, it is more complicated," Forget said.
), playing his last tournament before he retires, plays eighth seed Casper Ruud.
FRENCH OPEN [MEN] | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (👑), playing his last tournament before he retires, plays eighth seed Casper Ruud.
Mikael Ymer takes on Australian James Duckworth
Wildcard Michael Mmoh faces Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
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