Gael Monfils will be playing his first match of the new season when he faces Fabian Marozsan in round one of the ASB Classic on Monday evening.
Monfils has already been in Auckland for a while, though, and he has no complaints. The women’s tournament was held this past week; Monfils’ wife, Elina Svitolina, finished runner-up to Coco Gauff. If Monfils can go one better, himself, it would mark his second ATP title in the span of three months. The 37-year-old Frenchman played well last season when healthy, highlighted by a triumph on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm.
At the other end of the career spectrum, Marozsan started to make a name for himself in 2023–mainly by pulling off a stunning upset of Carlos Alcaraz at the Rome Masters. The 24-year-old Hungarian was a fourth-round participant in Rome, qualified for the Wimbledon main draw, and advanced one round at the U.S. Open. Marozsan, who lost to Roberto Bautista 6-2, 6-3 in the Hong Kong opening round this past week, is up to No. 64 in the rankings.
Although this is Monfils’ first match of 2024, rust should not be a problem for the veteran. Rest is much more important. Assuming Monfils is healthy, he will likely get his season underway in victorious fashion.
Pick: Monfils in 2
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I picked Monfils to win the whole thing.