He spent his final season on a farewell tour, from his last Roland Garros in May until His last Grand Slam match at the US Open in September, a few days after his 40th birthday. Known as “La Montf”, he was one of the great showmen of his era.
When and why did Gael Monfils retire?
My son announced in October 2025 that 2026 will be his final season, aiming to play until he turns 40 on September 1, 2026.
He officially retired on October 5, 2026, when he requested to be placed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of retired players. That listing disqualified him from Lyon and the final tournament at home in Paris. She attributed her decision to her split from Elina Svitolina, saying she hasn’t been able to train as much as she would like.
“I gave it my all,” he said in Paris. “I’m really happy, really at peace with what I’ve been able to do.”
How did Paris say goodbye to Gael Monfils?
The Rolex Paris Masters held a 15-minute ceremony for him on November 3, 2026 on Court Central during its 40th edition. Tournament director Cédric Piolain and French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moreton welcomed her to the court as the crowd unfurled a giant “Merci Gaël” typhoon.
He was joined by three other “new guns” in French tennis: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon, the last of whom he was still playing. He dedicated his last lap of honor to his daughter, Sky.
“I will not hide from you that it is a really difficult moment, saying goodbye to the most beautiful thing that this country can give us: you, this magnificent crowd,” he said in French. “Twenty-two years, 22 years of being a professional tennis player, 22 years of an extraordinary story that I could never have really dreamed of.”
Monfils played 11 tournament games with a 16-10 record. He reached the final twice. Novak Djokovic beat him 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) in 2009, and Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1) in 2010, after Monfils beat Roger Federer 7-6 (7), 6-7 (1), 7-64 (1) in the semifinals.
How was Gael Monfils’ farewell tour?
Monfils began his final season in Auckland, where he was the defending champion and received a traditional Maori ceremony. Australian Open qualifier Dane Sweeney defeated him 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 In his last game in Melbourne.
At Indian Wells, 21 years after his debut there, he He defeated Alexis Galarno 6-3, 6-4Before Felix Auger-Aliasim defeated him 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.
On clay, Alexander Bublik defeated him 6-4, 6-4 in Monte-Carlo, and Camilo Hugo Carabelli. In Madrid, he beat him 6-3, 6-4He first appeared in court in 2003.
in August 39 he Kamil Majchrzak won 6-4, 6-4 in Montreal becoming the oldest man to win the Canadian Open since Pancho Gonzalez in 1970.
How Gael Monfils said goodbye to Roland-Garros.
Monfils got it his last Roland Garros wild card. On the eve of the tournament, he said Roland Garros had given him 99.9% of his dreams, apart from the trophy.
On Court Philippe-Chatrier, he came back from two sets down against Frenchman Hugo Gaston to win 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 after Monfils needed treatment on his left leg in the fifth set.
“Roland-Garros, I love you, I owe you everything, goodbye until we meet again,” he told the crowd. his farewell speech.
Naomi Osaka before the tournament He called Monfils a “goat” what he represented to him as a young black player.
What was Gael Monfils’ last Grand Slam?
Monfils played his last major at the 2026 US Open where he got a wildcard. On his 40th birthday, he defeated Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 to become the Oldest man since Jimmy Connors to win US Open in 1992.
In the second round, Student Tien defeated him 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. It was the 201st and last “Grand Slam” match of his career. He leaves the majors with 131 wins, more than any other French player.
What are Gael Monfils’ best results?
Monfils has won 13 ATP titles, three at the ATP 500 level and ten at the ATP 250 level. The first was in Sopot in 2005, his 12th in Stockholm in 2023and his last in Auckland in January 2025, when he defeated Zizou Bergs 6–3, 6–4 in the final to become the oldest ATP champion at the age of 38.
He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2008 and the US Open in 2016, the year he reached a career-high No. 6 ranking and qualified for the ATP Finals.
As a junior, he won three of the four Grand Slam titles in 2004 (Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon) and finished the year as the junior world No. 1.
Why is Gael Monfils so famous?
“He is an incredible catalyst of energy, probably the most famous Frenchman of recent decades,” Piolin said before the ceremony in Paris. “When he was on the court, there was always something going on.”
Her acrobatic defense, jump shots and five-set comebacks made her a crowd favorite everywhere. At Roland Garros in 2025, he came back from two sets down to beat Hugo Deliens 4–6, 3–6, 6–1, 7–6 (4), 6–1. late night returnhis 12th win in five sets in the tournament, a record he called “magical”.
What are other players saying about Gael Monfils?
Stefanos Tsitsipas called him one of his best friends on tour and an “absolutely lovely soul” and said: tennis was losing a rare personality.
Arthur Fils, who grew up watching him, said I thought about Monfils in the fifth set Roland Garros in 2025
How old is Gael Monfils and who is his family?
Gael Monfils was born on September 1, 1986 in Paris. By: its ATP profileHis height is 1.93 m.
His father, Rufin, is from Guadeloupe and played professional football. His mother, Sylvette, is a nurse from Martinique. His younger brother Daryl also played tennis and the two played one doubles match together on the ATP Tour in 2012 in Montpellier.
Monfils married a Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina In July 2021. Their daughter Skye was born in October 2022. In 2026, he said they broke up.
When did Gael Monfils turn pro?
Monfils made his ATP debut in 2004, winning his first match at Metz as a Wilayate. Later that year, at the age of 18, he won his first match in Paris against Thomas Enqvist.
In 2005 he won his first title in Sopot, reached the finals in Metz and Lyon and finished the season in the top 30.
Gael Monfils plays for UTS.
Yes! Nicknamed “La Monf”, he made his UTS debut in 2020 at the Mouratoglou Academy. He reached the semi-finals in Los Angeles in 2023 and the Grand Final in London in 2024 and played the first UTS event in Nîmes in 2025.
What does Gael Monfils like outside of tennis?
Monfils is a basketball fan who has often said he would like to play the sport. He also supports PSG, and in 2025 wanted to watch the Champions League final During Roland Garros.
He broadcasts on Twitch, where he himself announced his Paris farewell ceremony.
