The Wimbledon second round match between Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils thrilled the Wimbledon crowd. The match is interrupted at 6:7, 4:6 and 5:5 and will be continued on Thursday.
Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils provide the Wimbledon crowd with the best entertainment on Wednesday evening and are given a standing ovation shortly before half past ten. The match had to be interrupted as darkness fell at 6:7, 4:6 and 5:5. The match continues on Thursday.
The tennis oldies not only impress their British spectators with spectacular tennis, the close friendship between the two is also evident in several scenes and penetrates the hearts of the audience.
"No problem, Stan thought so too"
For example, in the tie-break of the first set at 3:3, when Stan hammers an important forehand into the corner with millimetre precision and receives a loud "out" from the linesman. Chair umpire Marijana Veljovic overrules the decision and gives the Swiss the point. Monfils takes a challenge and is promptly wrong - the ball was actually in. 4:3 for Wawrinka.
Most tennis matches would be on fire by now - or so the umpire Veljovic thinks and reassures Monfils: "It looked like it was a winner." But the Frenchman is not at all rattled by what has happened. "No problem, Stan thought so too," is his joking reply.
The two friends then engage in a sympathetic exchange of words in French, march to the net and hug each other warmly. Veljovic looks a little irritated, the audience roars with laughter.
It is not the only time during the match that Wawrinka and Monfils shout jokes at each other and make the crowd laugh. This is also the case when umpire Veljovic tells the two players shortly before half past ten that they can only play one more game because it is getting dark. As it was clear that the two would play each other again on Thursday, the match was quickly turned into a show event.
When Wawrinka slips on the baseline at 30:40, Monfils, who has advanced to the net, lovingly places the ball in the middle of the court so that the point is not over yet. Shortly afterwards, however, Wawrinka hits the ball into the net with his backhand after a Monfils lob. The third set is therefore interrupted at 5:5 - the tennis show between the two continues on Thursday.
