Gael Monfils shares a picture of Novak Djokovic’s apology message to him after defeating him for the 19th consecutive time following their Cincinnati clash

Gael Monfils received an apology message from Novak Djokovic after his recent record loss against the Serbian.

Gael Monfils shares a picture of Novak Djokovic’s apology message to him after defeating him for the 19th consecutive time following their Cincinnati clash

Gael Monfils (L), Novak Djokovic (R) (Source: USA Today/Sky Sports)

French tennis star Gael Monfils took to X (formally known as Twitter) to express his thoughts after his defeat against Novak Djokovic in their Round-of-16 clash in the ongoing Cincinnati Open. He also posted a picture of a t-shirt that the Serbian gifted him after a match, with a signed apology message penned over it. 

Talking about the round-of-16 match, Djokovic cruised past the Frenchman with ease. He started to apply pressure from the beginning and ended up winning the match 6-2, 6-3, in straight sets. It took him just 69 minutes to end the match and qualify for the quarterfinals, where he will now meet one of the favorites of the tournament, Taylor Fritz. 

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With this win, Novak Djokovic has extended his flawless record against Gael Monfils. This was his 19th consecutive win over the 36-year-old. 

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After the match, the Serbian, however, praised Monfils. “Gael is one of the most athletic guys on the tour, and he showed that in the first set,” he said. “Every ball comes back to him.”

“I served well and made him play. After the first break, I didn’t look back and raised my level. I had an almost flawless second set. Hopefully I can keep it going,” Djokovic concluded.

The second seed also gave Monfils a signed t-shirt with an apology message that read “Sorry not sorry.” Monfils posted a picture of it on social media with the caption: “It may not have been the match I was hoping for against the GOAT, but it’s still an honor and a pleasure to face @DjokerNole. Despite everything, it remains a positive week. I’m going to rest to be on top at the US Open. Thank you so much for your incredible support.” 

Also Read: US Open finally bends its age-old rule as they give heed to requests by players like Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa over the ball quality at the Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic does not regret getting banned by USA over non-vaccination stance

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Source: Daily Express)

Novak Djokovic recently asserted in an interview that he had no regrets whatsoever about missing out on the 2022 US Open over his non-vaccination stance. The Serbian is currently busy playing in the Cincinnati Open and will travel to Queens, New York, for the US Open later. 

The Serbian had refused to be vaccinated during the COVID-19 crisis and was denied entry to the USA during the 2022 US Open and Australia during the 2022 Australian Open for the same reason. Addressing last year’s drama, the World No. 2 said, “The reason why I was not here for two years, I have zero regret on that; I’m just glad to be back.”

Novak is currently focused on his game and is determined to win his 24th Grand Slam in the upcoming US Open 2023, which starts on August 28th. 

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