The last one

Unfortunately, our Gaël still looks a bit physically affected to play the tournament he dreams of for his last one here. Let’s go see what’s going on...

"Some minor aches here and there, nothing serious, but they need to be taken seriously and they keep me from being at my best." It’s true you could see old Gaël was affected in Auckland against Marozsan. But in a Grand Slam, he’s a whole different animal. He’s capable of anything, and why not the very best. For his final season, he wants to give everything, but it also has to be managed. Last year he was already in “management mode”, if I can put it that way. He’s a guy who knows perfectly when he needs to give 100% and not let a single point slip by. On the other side of the net, the Australian Sweeny has a moving story. He was still around 700th a year ago, I think. Small and light build, he’s enjoyable to watch because he throws himself everywhere and puts his whole heart into it. A little Gaël, in short, with Hewitt’s technique on serve and Fokina’s acrobatics. Theoretically, Gaël will have time to speed up when needed and not burn too much energy here. But what kind of shape is he really in? Especially since Sweeny will have to be contained. The Australian is simply over the moon after qualifying. He’ll have absolutely nothing to lose, and he knows he’ll have to make it as physical a battle as possible to beat Gaël. So there are many possible scenarios here, as often with Gaël.