Monfils vs. Brown promise a show in Paris

Get your popcorn ready, and get lots of it. The first round French Open match on Tuesday between Gael Monfils and Dustin Brown will be sure to provide plenty of entertainment as the year’s second Grand Slam gets under way.

When you think about the most athletically-gifted players in the game, Monfils and Brown quickly come to mind. Somehow, they have never faced off against each other before. And while neither have won a Grand Slam (Monfils has reached two major semifinals, while Brown’s best is reaching the third round twice), they have a knack for putting on a show.

So don’t be surprised if Paris becomes a stage for a host of SportsCenter Top 10 plays.

“I knew he was going to play like that,” former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt said after losing to Brown at Wimbledon in 2013. “It's tough. You don't know what's going to happen next.”

That unpredictability is part of what makes watching a player like Brown fun. Just take a look at this compilation of hot shots that Brown has hit at Wimbledon over the years, and pay special attention to a drop shot he hits off of a heavy Viktor Troicki serve, placing enough spin on the ball to bounce back to his side of the net.

“He hit a good kick serve,” Brown said after the match. “I wanted to hit a dropshot. I hit a dropshot and it came back over. Everyone smiled, which is a good thing.”

His opponent at Roland Garros, Monfils, is not all that different aside from being the No. 15 seed and the favorite on paper. While the Frenchman—who has reached as high as No. 6 in the rankings—can play a more orthodox style, he also doesn’t mind putting on a show in between. Just look at what he did at the French Open three years ago:

“Well, you know, I was talking about this shot with my agent,” Monfils said.  “I told him, you know, ‘I think I could catch a ball if I was like seriously diving.’ Because this one, it was a little bit fake one, I would say, because I was out of balance, and I just give a little action to take the ball. But it was not a great dive, you know. I think it was 5 on 10—could be better.”

Monfils can add some silliness to his play on the court as well.

Regardless of what the outcome of this match will be, the winner is already clear: everyone watching.

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