Over the first 10 days of 2017, we're examining the Top 10 players on the ATP and WTA tours—how will they fare during the new season? All of the previews can be found here.
Late bloomers are the rule rather than the exception these days, but how many of us thought this flaky Frenchman would have his best year at age 30? That’s what happened in 2016. Gael Monfils finished a career-high No. 7; he won his biggest title, in Washington, D.C.; he reached his first U.S. Open semifinal; he qualified for his first season-ending championships; and, most surprising of all, he made himself a consistent quarterfinalist at important events. Under new coach Mikael Tillstrom, Monfils played with a newfound focus and seriousness (with one infamous exception.)
Now what are the chances he can do it again in 2017? So far neither age nor a lifetime of injuries have grounded the high-flying Monfils. He’s still virtually impossible to drop shot, and he can still hit a tweener from five feet off the ground. And the new, rocking-horse service motion that he concocted with Tillstrom has made his delivery even more lethal. What Monfils did better than ever in 2016 was beat the players he’s supposed to beat; theoretically, that shouldn’t be too much to ask of him again in 2017. There’s also plenty of room to improve; his passive, middling return of serve, in particular, would seem to be eminently fixable. The talent and athleticism is there to make that a much more imposing and useful shot.