No ‘Five go mad in SW19’ as Edmund loses to Monfils in Wimbledon second

 

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By Ros Satar, at Wimbledon

  • Gael Monfils def. Kyle Edmund 7-6(1) 6-4 6-4
  • Still four Brits in the draw for round three playing on Friday
LONDON, UK – Kyle Edmund faced a tough task against Gael Monfils, bowing out in the second round.

 

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Gael Monfils def. Kyle Edmund 7-6(1) 6-4 6-4

It was always going to be a tough ask for the British No. 2 Kyle Edmund as he took on the Aegon International runner-up Gael Monfils, but not without putting up an impressive fight.

The first set saw the sturdy Yorkshireman trading blow-for-blow with Monfils and handling the first break point against him with confidence. Yet he may come to regret his own chances in the first set, with three chances of his own to take the lead.

The real agony though was two fluffed volleys in the tie-break which saw the Frenchman run away with the first set. In the second set an early break for Monfils seemed to put the him in th driving seat, but Edmund broke back, before another loose game handed the advantage back to Monfils.

Edmund found a spark of life in the third set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead, but once more could not hold on to it, and two straight breaks of the Brit’s serve saw Monfils cruise to the end with a serve out to love for the match.

There were, however, some strong positives Edmund could take away from the experience, not least of which playing on of the world’s biggest and most iconic sporting stages.

Edmund said: “I enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy the loss, but I enjoyed the experience, being on the biggest court. I’m sure a lot of players would say the biggest court in the world. In the past I have played on big courts and come off saying I didn’t quite get my game going or only got going later on in the match.

“It was nice I got going quite quickly. Obviously the first set was tight with the tiebreak, and, you know, a close break points in the first set. If I broke I would have been serving for it. Each set sort of felt I had a bit of a chance. Broke back in the second, and obviously he was a break up in the third.”

Sometimes it is hard to believe that Edmund is as young as he is. One of the ATP #NextGen stable, he has enjoyed time under Andy Murray’s wing as part of his training blocks. He has always been considered to have a great work ethic, and with a little variety to his game to complement his already formidable serve/forehand weapons, his progression will continue.

He added: “I got my game out on court, which is something I wanted to do, and just a bit of lack of maturity at this stage. A few shots in certain points or match situations just needed to be better on. I’m only 20 years old, I don’t know all the answers. That’s why it’s a great thing to learn from.”

 

Highlights (h/t @Wimbledon)

The remaining Brits will play their Wimbledon third round matches on Friday.