He clearly had no time to waste, but he didn’t forget to make the show. In his first game of the year in Adelaide, 54 minutes was enough for Gail Monfils to defeat Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerondolo, 90th in the world, in straight sets (6-1, 6-2). Exempted from the first round as the top seed, the Frenchman allowed himself an eccentricity that he had the secret to wrapping up, sending out a crossboat winning with a vaulting forehand. In the quarter-finals, he will face American Tommy Paul, the winner of his Japanese team, Taro Daniel (6-4, 6-7, 6-4).

Aggressive as soon as he had the chance and quick on defence, Monfils could not have dreamed of a better start in 2022. Only the Blues are still in the running, and now they have to put their victories together to face the Australian Open (17-30 January) in the best possible conditions.