Gael Monfils is a real entertainer on the ATP tour.
The gangly 26-year-old has the turnstiles ticking over where ever he takes his racquet because of his eye catching, high energy playing style.
The fast Frenchman whips an audience into a frenzy with his unique slide-style approach to a stroke and the speedy flick of the wrist.
And, he is daring, he likes to play his tennis on the edge, which makes it unpredictable for opponents to read and the crowds just love it.
Monfils, however, made a somewhat subdued arrival to Australian Open 2013.
Subdued in style, but not in substance. Rather than blast 18th seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov off the court, he wore him down to win 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-3 in the first round at an overflowing Margaret Court Arena tonight.
Monfils has been on the pro tour since 2003.
Last year, injuries got the better of him, with back and knee problems.
He entered the new year with his lowest ranking – 99 – since April 2005.
Still a young man in the sport, did the years of kamikaze-style play catch up with this excitement machine last year?
Did it prompt a rethink into the way he goes about his game?
Monfils stripped away the flair and simply got the job done against Dolgopolov.
Sure, there were some jaw dropping shots, but most of his game was focused on bullying the match from the baseline and not the maniacal zig zagging across the court that he is renowned for.
It might have been a case of Monfils still trying to get back to his optimum fitness levels early this year, or is this the new Monfils?
Either way, it was super effective, for it was Dolgopolov who was getting the run around, trying to create Hail Mary shots and eventually running out of steam to hand Monfils a comfortable win.
If this was a glimpse into a new approach from Monfils, he is going to be a tougher nut to crack because he will undoubtedly last longer in matches and feel fresher later in tournaments.
Maybe even to a point of a return to the fourth round, his best finish at the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific.
Australian Open
Day 2
Matches of the day: The pick of the men’s singles action was a five set epic between Jarkko Nieminen and Tommy Haas, which Nieminen won 8-6 in the fifth. In the women’s singles, Serena Williams’ 6-0 6-0 drubbing of Edina Gallovits-Hall was incredible, because the third seeded American took a heavy fall in the fourth game of the first set, injured her ankle and still remained composed to get on with the double bagel.
Tomorrow’s picks: Top Australian women’s singles hope Sam Stosur will command an audience when she takes to the court at Rod Laver Arena against China’s Jie Zheng in the afternoon session. No. 1 ranked male Novak Djokovic takes on American Ryan Harrison in the night session. If you don’t have Rod Laver Arena tickets, park you bum on Show Court 2 where Stanislas Wawrinka, Jelena Jankovic and Janko Tipsarevic will be in action.
