Gael Monfils says that while he is favor of the ATP’s 25-second 'time-between-points' rule, he is not completely in favor of its strict enforcement.
The ATP, with the support of the Players’ Council, has decided to strictly enforce the rule this year, which has led to complaints by some players. In Doha, Monfils argued with an umpire about a time violation warning he received.
“I think I let down my concentration (after the time violation),” Monfils told reporters. “Because I think I was up 1-0, and as I told the umpire 'I’m fit. I’m not (breathing heavy) at all. And if I’m taking time, it’s because I’m just trying to dry my hands. So actually, it’s not a violation.'”
The Frenchman then added: “It’s a bit tough. We’ve been without it in tennis for a long time and then they give you new rules like this. Actually, I like it because I’m the type of player who plays with his physique. So it’s cool if you have a shorter time to recover, I’m happy with that. … If it’s like 10 seconds, I’d be happier, because I don’t know any players that can run and get back in 10 seconds. I think I’d be one of the best to do that. So I think the umpire has to judge if the guy is really taking time because he’s tired or whatever or he’s taking maybe two or three seconds more because of ball kids or whatever.”