Gaël Monfils plays the last Grand Slam match of his career at the US Open

End clap for Gaël Monfils. The newly forty-year-old played the very last Grand Slam match of his career, Thursday evening in New York. Beaten for Learner Tien in the 2nd round of the US Open (6-3, 6-4, 6-3), he thus closes a page opened more than twenty years ago. With emotion, but also a lot of smiles.

Supported from the first point by the New York public, while he faced an American player, La Monf would have liked to push further. But as he said at one point to those close to him in the stands, “I want to but my body tells me no, I’m in pain”. The Frenchman still released a few points for which he has the secret, such as this winning forehand in extension or this blind volley, transforming the Louis-Armstrong court into a Roland-Garros night session. But he ended up giving up, logically, against a much higher ranked player (15th in the world) and 20 years his junior.

The end of the match was hair-raising, with these crazy images of spectators standing, screaming Monfils' name at the top of their lungs. “From juniors in 2003 until today in 2026, it’s been a long adventure,” said the hero of the evening on the microphone, after the broadcast of a video of his (many) highlights in New York on the giant screen. All this love means you are my second favorite audience, after Paris obviously, but you are right up there. It was an absolute honor to play in front of you and give you a great show. Thanks for everything. Thank you New York! » Then he left the court to a huge ovation.

Monfils delivered some of his most beautiful scores to New York. There was this epic match in 2014, when he led two sets to nothing against Roger Federer, two match points in the fourth set, before finally giving in in the fifth in 3h20. Two years later, he had a fantastic run without losing a set until the semi-final, stopped by an untouchable Novak Djokovic.

From now on, the Frenchman will rest a little, before a final farewell tour in France, in Lyon (October 19-25) then Paris for the Rolex Paris Masters (November 2-8). Then, it will be suits and office, as he told at a press conference. “I am going to work in finance, in wealth management within a Swiss company, Alpha Suisse,” he revealed. So my next chapter will take place in an office, in a suit, but I will always keep an eye on tennis because I love this sport, and my wife continues to play. » Without forgetting his daughter, Skaï, who will be 4 years old next month. “She went back to school and I want to stay active,” he explained. Monfils is ready.