It’s time for some magic show at the ‘City of Light‘! The ‘Magic-Man‘ Gael Monfils is all set to take on Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the men’s singles event at the Paris Olympics. Monfils has produced several magical moments in his 20-year-long career span. He has entertained the fans with his charisma and high-risk shot-taking skills, but now it’s time for one last dance at the Olympics. This is his fifth and final Olympics. Surely the 37-year-old tennis star will be keen to take advantage of the home support and bring joy to his nation!

On the other hand, just a few hours ago, Lorenzo Musetti played in the finals of the Croatia Open against Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentinian defeated the 22-year-old Italian tennis star and now it’s time for him to get back to the winning tracks in this mega event. However, the question is whether Musetti recovered well enough to face Monfils in this intriguing battle.

Lorenzo Musetti vs Gael Monfils: Preview

Musetti has had multiple good runs in the 2024 season but has failed to perform when it mattered the most. If we consider all the tournaments that he has participated in this season, then Lorenzo Musetti has reached four finals in total as of now. Apart from that, he has also made it through to one SF and one QF. In his previous match, Cerundolo defeated him 2-6,6-4,7-6(5). Musetti hit 3 aces in that match and committed just a single double fault.

His first serve win percentage was 67%, while on the second serve, it was around 50% but in the breakpoints, he could only manage 4/11. So far, Lorenzo Musetti has hit 142 aces this season and has committed 59 doubles faults. He has won 80% of his service games and 21% of his return games.

Gael Monfils’ best record this year has been reaching one SF and one QF as of now. He has played his last match almost one month ago. In that SF match at the Mallorca Championships, he was defeated by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in a three-set thriller. If we look at his numbers from that epic clash, La Monf hit 12 aces and committed half the number of double faults (6). He won 80% of his first serve and 54% of his second serve and in the breakpoints, it was 2/4.

The Frenchman has hammered 295 aces so far this season and committed 123 double faults. He has won 82% of his service games, but on the return games, the percentage has lowered to 19%.

Musetti vs Monfils: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars have met each other twice in their careers so far. In fact, just two months ago, Gael Monfils played against Lorenzo Musetti in the same venue.

• Their first meeting was in Viena in the 2021 season. Over there, Monfils sealed the deal in the R32 clash by two sets.
• Then in the second, Musetti came back strongly and defeated the Frenchman by 7-5,6-1,6-4 in the second round of the 2024 French Open. Beating the 2008 French Open semifinalist in front of his home crowd is never an easy task, but Lorenzo Musetti did the unthinkable! Will this recent result give him an edge in the predictions?

Prediction: Monfils will win this match in three sets

This will be an intense battle, that’s for sure! However, home Olympics don’t come too often in an athlete’s career, and this is the last chance for Gael Monfils to clinch an Olympic medal. So, he’ll give his all in this match and the support of the Parisian crowd may well go in favor of the former world number 6. Monfils is currently ranked 30th in the world and has a win-loss record of 18-15 this season. On the other hand, Lorenzo Musetti (17) has a win-loss record of 26-19. Musetti looks in better form this year, but you cannot rule out this magician on Roland Garros!

Gael Monfils is known for his athleticism and incredible court coverage. He is basically a baseline who mostly uses placement and consistency to beat his opponents. The Frenchman can generate real power in his serves and groundstrokes but his swift transition from defense to offense is what often keeps his opponents on toes at times. Musetti, on the other hand, is a natural clay court player, he loves playing on this surface. His long backswing on both backhand and forehand may well come in handy in this faceoff. Lorenzo Musetti’s biggest weapon is his one-handed backhand, but is it enough to slay on Parisian clay? Well, perhaps yes, but La Monf will have the Parisian crowd as his shield! So Gael Monfils, all the way…