Qatar ExxonMobil Open champion Gael Monfils of France is seen with Qatar Tennis Federation officials and members of the organizing committee following the final staged at Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Saturday night.
Doha: Gael Monfils said he expected a “tough” Australian Open despite claiming his first title of the season on Saturday after he won the Qatar Open by beating Andrey Rublev.
Monfils, returning to action after a knee injury which brought a premature end to last season, said he would still be unseeded in Melbourne and expected a tough draw.
“Australia is definitely something else,” the 31-year-old said after the one-sided final.
“It’s a Slam. I know it’s going to be tough because I won’t be seeded.”
“It’s been a while since I played without being seeded. It’s always an advantage in a Grand Slam.”
“It’s going to be interesting to see the draw, where I will be. I know I can have a very tough first round.”
He may, in fact, still have a slim chance of being seeded in Australia, depending on injuries to top players as well as his move up the rankings following his 6-2, 6-3 win in Qatar.
Going into Doha, Monfils was ranked 46th in the world.
With the new rankings out next week, he is expected to rise to 39, still seven places outside the seedings.
However, injuries to players such as Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori have already ensured players outside the top 32 will be seeded, including Rublev, and more dropouts would help Monfils.
Monfils said he was pleased to have returned to action after a lengthy lay-off.
“I am very happy. It’s been a while -- it’s been a year and I was waiting for that moment to get back in shape,” Monfils said.
“It was in 2016, I was almost on my top and I had a very good year, finished 6, and couldn’t really defend my chances in 2017.
“Definitely, I haven’t played so much in 2017 at 100 percent. And I had a long rest and (to) come back strong in 2018 was a goal. I wouldn’t say I was expecting to win the first tournament, but I’m more than happy that I did,” he added.
Rublev is currently the world number 39 but his ranking will rise to at least 33 after Doha. Injuries to others mean he is assured of a seeding in Melbourne for the season’s first Grand Slam which starts on January 15.
Asked about his chances in Australia, Rublev, 20, said he was “more confident” after his showing in Doha.
“I’m happy to be seeded and, of course, I feel a little bit more confident. But we’ll see what happens. You never know who you are going to play and there’s many guys that are not seeded but they are really, really tough to beat.”
Monfils praised Rublev’s performance.
“I think he’s young. He’s coming up well. He’s going to be very strong. He had very solid end to the year last season. We could see already that he could beat the top players for sure,” he said.
