Val, all the way?

Like a prophecy with Carlito’s improbable defeat, Val looks set to go all the way!

Let’s not get carried away and take it one match at a time. But it’s true that with Zverev and Sinner in the other half of the draw, everything seems possible for the now world No. 30 (23rd if he wins—unbelievable). We were a bit worried for him against Norrie, and with good reason. The Brit understood how to play Val, but he didn’t execute his strategy well enough. And Val handles the big moments wonderfully. It’s like pressure just rolls off him. I think he’s living a little dream and actually savoring it. And let’s not forget he grew up in Monte Carlo, so he’s been around big-time players his whole life. No hang-ups. By the way, Félix says he knows him a bit since they’ve hit together in Monaco. But never in a match. The Canadian even says he’s the best player in the world right now. Smart guy, that Félix. And he’s got one goal in mind: the Masters. He needs to go all the way, and when you think about it, the path is nicely laid out for him too. He struggles with the slow conditions, but he’s getting through it mentally. He doesn’t flinch, and he solves problems little by little. It’s going to be a step up for Val. Félix loses the first set in each of his matches, but I don’t feel he’s physically spent because of it. He’s still super explosive. He reminds me of his early-season self when he was winning plenty of matches while dropping a set. The goal against him is to make him doubt himself a bit. Daniel completely succeeded in set 1. At that point, the Félix clock goes out of sync and the errors start coming. But when he’s in the zone, it’s tough. He takes you on a tour of Paris and every neutral ball gets punished immediately. A real challenge for Val, who will have to serve well and, above all, be more than clutch. After all, he’s already made us dream so many times...