Mark Nixon · @markalannixon
14th Mar 2019 from TwitLonger
Liam Smith, Gaël Monfils' coach: "I want him to take more chances." Èquipe interview by @djub22 and Vincent Cognet. (sub) https://abonnes.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Article/Liam-smith-l-entraineur-de-gael-monfils-je-veux-qu-il-prenne-plus-de-risques/997958
How did your collaboration with Monfils start?
-- After having worked as a national coach in Australia, I came back to Miami, where I live. I worked for three years with Radu Albot (53) and Matthew Ebden (49). Gaël, whom I've known since juniors (2004) is often in Miami. One day in 2015 I'm in a supermarket. I turn around and who do I see! We chat for a good while and I ask him him if it suited him to come and practise with Radu. He's says OK. Suddenly, we're working together a lot in Florida, especially during the off-season in December. What's more, I'm also good friends with his previous coach, Mikael Tilström. At the end of 2017, because Miki could travel much at that time, and I had three weeks available, he asked me if I could work with Gaël. I was very happy with the prep we made. He won Doha after.
Five months later, Monfils and Tillström parted ways ...
-- Yes, but I didn't want to leave Radu and Matt in the middle of the season. I didn't find that right. Gaël asked me if I was ready to be with him in 2019. What decided it for me was that he was very motivated and that he had relevated expectations. It seemed like a real challenge.
Do you have the same vision as Tillström of the game Monfils should play?
-- Our philosophies are very similar. I'm pushing him to be more aggressive. What I want to improve is his net game. Gaël has super hands, but he doesn't have enough confidence at the net.
Is it a technical change or a mindset change?
-- A bit of both. Technically, we worked on his racquet movement, legwork and court positioning. The other thing is the way he makes the transition towards the net and protects himself from passing shots. But to get there, the player needs to feel confident. No one is quicker than Gaël, and I want him to take risks. With volleys, but from the baseline as well. I think he has the most massive forehand on the tour.
Has it been easy to convince him?
-- We've talked and we've watched quite a few videos together, extracts of matches against the top ten. To study his mistakes, but also why he makes them. He liked that a lot.
Since the beginning of the year he's mentioned frequently the excellent tactical prep for his matches ...
-- When I worked for Tennis Australia, I had the opportunity to meet with stats specialists and analyse matches. I learned a lot. Tactics isn't solely analysing the strengths and weakness of the opponent. It's also adapting the game plan to your player's advantage. The only thing that counts is efficiency.
With a clear idea of his tactics also helps to stay in the match.
-- I think so. In English, we say: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." A good plan gives you faith in the win. It's better to have a plan, even a bad one, than no plan at all because it helps maintain concentration. The best players in the world win more often than others for at least two reasons: they believe strongly in themselves and they execute their tactical game plans to the letter.
Three months on, does Gaël still surprise you?
-- [laughs] Yes, because he occasionally does incredible things. But I'm not really astonished. I'm most of all really happy with his investment and his results. He really believes in what we've put in place.