Gael Monfils and Dominic Thiem will be going head-to-head for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Mallorca Championships on Monday afternoon.
Thiem is sweeping the head-to-head series 6-0, but all six previous meetings came before Thiem’s recent demise and they have never faced each other on grass. The Austrian has prevailed three times on clay (including via a 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 decision in their first encounter at the 2015 Umag event), twice on an outdoor hard court (including a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 romp in their most recent showdown at the 2020 Australian Open), and once on an indoor hard court (6-3, 1-6, 6-4 at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals).
The story will likely be much different this time around. Thiem has never fully recovered from a 2021 wrist injury and he announced his upcoming retirement at the end of this season. The 30-year-old is struggling down at No. 134 in the rankings while winning just two tour-level matches during the 2024 campaign. Adding insult to injury, Thiem is a mere 14-18 lifetime on grass.
Although Monfils is also well past is prime, he is still going relatively strong at 37 years old. The Frenchman comes in at 38th in the rankings with an even 13-13 record for the season. He is 47-31 lifetime on grass.
Based on current form and the surface, Monfils should have no trouble finally getting over the hump in this matchup.
Pick: Monfils in 2
[yop_poll id=”1245″]
WWW?
Monfils in 3…a tough 3
Agreed