Monfils himself announced the tribute to Paris on Twitch. He promised a big show and a chance to personally say goodbye to the French crowd. He said it would be much shorter than his tribute at Roland Garros earlier this year, with a second match coming up, and that he had spoken to Piolin.
He linked his decision to his split from wife Elina Svitolina, saying he had done nothing wrong but that he had not been able to train the way he wanted to.
Piolin said the tournament found out “a little bit like everybody else, since it was leaked, or rather became public,” that Monfils could no longer play as a professional. “Then, little by little, we reconnected, and we said to ourselves, we’re going to build a moment together for him,” Piolin said Friday.
Probably the most famous Frenchman of recent decades
“He is an incredible catalyst of energy, probably the most famous Frenchman of recent decades,” says Piolin. When he was on the court, there was always something going on, with that special energy and that special connection with his community.”
“A great champion, an incredible athlete,” Piolin added. “And no, it wasn’t difficult because it’s not up to us to send him there. That was his job.”
Gilles Moreton, the president of the French Tennis Federation, said: “I think he deserves it and we are all delighted to be able to celebrate Gael Monfils, this extraordinary player who has given us so much pleasure over the years,” Moreton said.
Monfils reached the final twice in Paris. He lost to Novak Djokovic in 2009 and Robin Soderling in 2010. The Parisian, a former world No. 6, has won 13 tour-level titles. Piolain recalled that he remains the last Frenchman to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in 2016. His last match as a professional was a second-round loss to Lorer Tien at the US Open in September. Thien is the No. 15 seed in Paris this week.
The ceremony is part of a week built around the 40th edition of the tournament. The first champion in 1986, Boris Becker, will present the trophy on Sunday, while past winners will appear on Center Court from Wednesday.
