Gaël Monfils – the incredible Sliderman

Last year's French Open semi-finalist Gaël Monfils explains his love affair with the red dirt.

Gaël Monfils has been in love with clay even since he was a youngster. Since he first picked up a racquet, in fact, and learnt his trade on the red dirt at Jean Bouin, a mere topspin lob away from the Roland Garros stadium that hosts the only Grand Slam to be played on clay.

It is of course the ideal surface for someone who has earned himself the nickname "Sliderman", and with the home crowd behind him the French Open always seems to bring out his showmanship qualities. Beginning with his French junior (15-16-year-olds) title won in Paris in 2002 and culminating with his spectacular run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, and not forgetting his first tour title in Sopot, "la Monf'" as the French call him has always shone on this, the toughest of surfaces – for a number of reasons.

"The psychological challenge? I love it!"

"I like long rallies," says Monfils, cutting a long story short. "I also have more time to think when I play on clay. I can go further back as well – I don't have to be glued to the baseline – and I can make the ball kick up more as well… It's basically my kind of surface!" So much so that when he won the junior French Open in 2004, the big-hitting Parisian was confident enough to fire down an ace on a second service to clinch the title. A masterstroke like that takes nerves of steel, and the mental battle that makes clay court tennis often seem like a giant chess match is also something that appeals to Monfils.

"The psychological challenge? I love it! And this is something that's even more important at Roland Garros," says Monfils with a grin, referring to the fact that the French Open is played over the best of five sets and here, more than anywhere else, an outsider can make a run deep into the second week. "You can end up in real trouble if the draw isn't kind to you," he continues. "Imagine if you get someone like Oscar Hernandez, Albert Montanes or Potito Starace in the first round. The general public may not know much about them but they're by no means easy to beat! After that, the tournament starts to take off and you're bound to have to face one of the big names by the third round. And at Roland, since it's a Grand Slam, there are 128 of us in the draw meaning that all the clay-court specialists are there, so that negates your advantage."

Against all odds

The road to Roland this year has been an uphill one for Monfils to say the least. He has had a recurrence of what is commonly called growing pains but which is actually known in the medical profession as Osgood Schlatter's disease, causing him real pain in both knees, particularly the left. La Monf had to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 and is unlikely to play much tennis before the French Open gets under way – hardly ideal preparation for the most important tournament of the year as far as French players are concerned, but Monfils remains confident.

And he has good reason to be. In 2008, he came to Paris suffering from a groin strain only to go all the way through to the final four and even take a set off Roger Federer. Monfils knows therefore that he has the mental wherewithal to cope with five-set matches and two-week tournaments, and this year he has been working on the physical aspect as well. Having taken on Australian coach Roger Rasheed last summer, he has been working on a specially designed fitness regime. "I've been doing a lot of work over the past few weeks," Monfils explains. "Physically, I'm stronger than I was a year ago." Just how strong is he? "Even compared with Rafael Nadal in this respect, I wouldn't come up short," he says, confidently.