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Who is the mentally strongest French player ATM?

  • Gilles Simon

    Votes: 34 63.0%
  • Gael Monflis

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

    Votes: 10 18.5%
  • Richard Gasquet

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Julien Benneteau

    Votes: 2 3.7%
  • Michael Llodra

    Votes: 2 3.7%
  • Jeremy Chardy

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Paul Henri Mathieu

    Votes: 4 7.4%

Is Gilles Simon the mentally strongest French player atm? If not who is it?

5K views 78 replies 41 participants last post by  Federer-Fan 
#1 ·
Surprisingly consistent results from the Frenchman. He does not give up so easily and seems less prone to clowning.

He fights for every point and doesn't seem to have the same French arrogance that others do.

Would you agree?
 
#37 ·
Your definition of mental strength is very narrow. Serving out matches is great but you are already in a winning position. Being mentally tough is also being able to turn a match around, to stick with a player who is playing well, to up your game or make them crack when the moment gets tight.
 
#11 · (Edited)
That's not even Simon who is overrated there, that's Tsonga who's described as an arrogant and mentally weak player. That's so wrong. I mean, look at the impressive stats he has (BPs saved, TBs won/lost, 5-set record) and remember he was the first player ever beating Federer in a Grand Slam match after losing the first two sets.

Unfortunately, according to MTF you're as good as your last match.
 
#18 ·
The truth has been told
MTF logic: your subjective opinion >>>>> stats :yeah:
 
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#14 ·
I never understood the assumption that Simon has some sort of amazing mental strength. He's not the worst, but I'd definitely rank Tsonga way higher.

The French media especially likes to portray him as the not-so-talented player who manages to win relying solely of mental strength and Tsonga as a weak minded player. When actually Tsonga will win most of his matches when he's in a position to do so while Simon is prone to losing matches he shouldn't or pulling himself out of tough positions that he brought on himself. In Tokyo, the French press was praising him for saving six match points against Bautista Agut, which is impressive, but I wouldn't qualify having to save six match points when you started the set with a double break as great mental solidity.
 
#20 ·
He fights (like Cornut who I am also a fan of) but mentally strong is a huge exaggeration. Maybe compared to the other French :)spit:) but still not at all. Competitive and mentally strong is a big difference.
 
#22 ·
Exactly! Combativeness doesn't equal mental strength. It's the same with Alizé Cornet, she's a fighter and has pulled some great comebacks but she's very far from being "mentally strong".

Edit: I'm dumb, I didn't read your entire post and didn't see that you had already mentioned Cornet. Obviously I agree with you on that as well :p
 
#26 · (Edited)
Julien Benneteau is a tower of mental strength...

Shanghai 2009 Doubles Champions


Roland Garros 2014 Doubles Champions


Respectfully,
masterclass














P.S. ...except against singles finalists.
 
#29 ·
Never is a long time... ;)



Rene Lacoste - 2x Wimbledon, 3x French Open, 2x US Open, 2x Davis Cup



Henri Cochet - 2x Wimbledon, 4x Roland Garros, 1x US Open, 6x Davis Cup


Respectfully,
masterclass
 
#35 ·
Surprisingly consistent results from the Frenchman. He does not give up so easily and seems less prone to clowning.

He fights for every point and doesn't seem to have the same French arrogance that others do.

Would you agree?
I actually wish Gasquet was arrogant, he would have probably had a far better career than what he had.

Also, i don't find the likes of Monfils and Tsonga particularly arrogant.
I mean, Djoker for example is probably more arrogant than all the 4 best french players combined (and he already was before he even became a top player).
 
#41 ·
Probably Benneteau
 
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