“He's so strong, so talented,” added the world No.15. “We're talking about a legend in our sport. I found that in a very short time, in two days, his level of play had risen dramatically. I can imagine, with a little more time, coming back to play with the guys he had to train with all week, really picking up the pace and the tempo.
“I think he wants to do well. That's my opinion. If he's coming here, it's because he feels like doing something really good. I'm as impatient as you are to see how he will manage it. It's interesting to see how a legend like him is going to handle all this…(but) what I saw in one weekend was already extraordinary.”
As for his own form, Monfils was not quite so effusive, although his recent engagement to world No.6 Elina Svitolina has at least put a smile on his face.
“In my personal life, I'm doing very well, and in my professional life, I'm not doing well,” said Monfils, who opens his Roland-Garros campaign against Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Tuesday.