Australian Open player profiles continue with Gael Monfils, an athletic, charismatic Frenchman who has only been held back by injuries. You probably heard a lot about him as junior, but you’ll be hearing a lot more about him in 2009 if injuries don’t bit him yet again.

Country: France

Height: 6’4”

Age: 22 (9/1/86)

Ranking: 14

Career-High Ranking: 14

Best Grand Slam Performance: Semifinals of the French Open in 2008

Claim to Fame: Won three straight Grand Slam junior titles in 2004. Arguably the most athletic player on tour.

Australian Opens Played: 3 (2005, 2006, 2007)

Best Australian Open Performance: Third Round (2007)

Best Shot: Speed. Monfils really doesn’t have one signature shot or one huge weapon with which he can put opponents away. But he plays defense better than almost anyone on the ATP Tour. He’s probably the most athletic player in tennis, as well. Monfils is probably not quite as fast as Rafael Nadal in terms of foot speed, but his athleticism and wing span perhaps allow him to track down even more shots than does the No. 1 player in the world.

Needs Work: Net game. Monfils is winning with defense, but his serve and forehand are rapidly improving and as those shots become more effective, he will have to start following them into the net. So far, Monfils has rarely ventured there, and when he has, it’s been far from spectacular. A little more offense to go along with his already-superb defense will make Monfils a downright pain to play.

2008 Summary, 2009 Outlook: Monfils has been plagued by injuries throughout his brief career, and he did not even start playing in 2008 until March. Not surprisingly, it took him a while to get going. He hovered in the 40s, 50s, and 60s in the world rankings before exploding with the onset of the French Open. Monfils delighted fans with a run to the Roland Garros semifinals, where he fell to Roger Federer, and never looked back. He reached the semifinals in Nottingham, the quarterfinals of the Olympics, the fourth round of the U.S. Open, the semifinals in Bangkok, the final in Vienna, and the quarterfinals of the Masters Series Madrid. Going into the last tournament of the regular season (Paris), he still had an outside shot at qualifying for the year-end Masters Cup despite having missed two Grand Slams (the Australian Open and Wimbledon).

Monfils reached No. 14 in the world playing on a limited basis in 2008; so just think what he can do next year if he stays healthy. For one, an appearance in the Top 10 should be imminent. He has absolutely no points to defend throughout the first two months of the season, so a big opportunity awaits him. Monfils can be a force on all surfaces, so he can rack up ranking points on a consistent basis wherever, whenever, and on whatever surface is underneath him. Ten months of injury-free tennis in 2009 should result in a Masters Cup spot for Monfils.

Australian Open 2009 Outlook: Monfils’ Aussie Open history is less than stellar, in part due to injuries. He couldn’t even participate in the event this season, instead sidelined by physical problems. There is every reason to think, however, than the Frenchman will be back and better than ever in Melbourne in 2009. He was injury-free (and it showed with some awesome results) for almost the entire second half of 2008, and a two-month off-season full of rest will only help Monfils be in even better shape when he arrives Down Under.

The Plexicushion surface, meanwhile, should be perfect for Monfils. It’s slow enough to help him retrieve all kinds of would-be winners, but it is fast enough to aid his big serves and forehands (that will presumably be even bigger at the start of 2009 with some hard work alongside coach Roger Rasheed throughout the off-season). Anything less than a fourth-round showing would be a disappointment. With any luck, Monfils could still be around for the final weekend just like he was at Roland Garros.