Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m super excited to share some awesome news with you all about an incredible match-up happening in the world of tennis.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article that caught my eye. It was about a leadership program called the Pacific Women and Girls in Tennis – Emerging Leaders workshop. This amazing event took place in Fiji and brought together eleven talented women from the Pacific region to learn, grow, and connect with each other. The workshop is part of Tennis Australia’s broader mission to empower women and girls in tennis, creating opportunities for them to develop their skills, build confidence, and become leaders within the sport. It’s like a dream come true!
Now, let’s talk about why this is so important. In recent years, there’s been a growing trend of women taking center stage in various sports, including tennis. The search for “women in tennis” has been on the rise, with many fans and players alike celebrating the achievements of female athletes. Initiatives like this workshop are crucial for fostering a more inclusive and supportive community within the sport.
But today, I want to focus on something else entirely – a match that’s got everyone buzzing Gael Monfils, the French veteran, has been making waves ahead of his Shanghai Masters round-of-16 match against Carlos Alcaraz. The world No. 2, Carlos Alcaraz, is undoubtedly the big favorite to win their clash, but Monfils isn’t too optimistic about his chances. In fact, he admitted that he expects to get “crushed” by Alcaraz, who he described as “coming up legend.”
Despite this, Monfils claimed a shock 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 win at the Cincinnati Masters two months ago. However, he isn’t too optimistic about repeating that feat against Alcaraz this time around. “It will be, for me, a really tough one,” Monfils previewed. “As I say, coming up legend. For me, it’s just an honor to be on the court with this guy tomorrow, so it’s going to be great to face him again.”
Monfils also addressed his recent achievement of becoming the second-oldest player since Roger Federer to reach the Shanghai round-of-16 stage. When Federer did it in 2019, he was a few months older than Monfils. Monfils expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and his passion for the game: “Patience… to have the passion to. Play tennis. I’m patient with myself, sometimes when it’s not working. The discipline to work with my team to try to get the best out of me. At the end, it’s easy, I love the game.”
While Monfils is past his prime and no longer one of the best in the game, he still owns a respectable 24-20 record in 2024. For him, just knowing that he can still play solid on the main level is enough to make him happy. “I’m always happy,” Monfils noted. “As I said last time, any win, it’s something, it means that I still got it, can still compete against great players. So, you know, it’s another one today, just happy with that.”
If Monfils manages to pull off an upset against Alcaraz again, he will reach the Shanghai quarterfinals for the second time in his career. Previously, it happened in 2013 when he made it to the last-eight before losing to Novak Djokovic.
If you want, you can check out the news where I found it here.
Yours truly,
Mia
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