It's probably not the goodbye anyone had imagined. We were expecting possible final excitement on a point from elsewhere signed Gaël Monfils in Nanterre, where the Masters 1000 in Paris is taking place. In front of his audience, the French tennis player will present himself without a racket or a spark of genius to offer. It is in the shoes of a young retiree that the Parisian will be entitled to a “big show” this Tuesday, November 3. Bruised by his separation from his wife Elina Svitolina, Monfils no longer had the heart for tennis. This is undoubtedly a first as he offered it to her, in an inimitable style.
With the sudden announcement of the end of his career, in a silence so far from the usual spotlight which naturally focused on him, Gaël Monfils makes a certain vision of his sport disappear with it. There are aesthetes who are keen on technique. Those for whom appearance matters above all else. And then, halfway, stood the Tricolore, almost a species in itself between an innate sense of bringing crowds to their feet and an athlete above the rest, almost falling into the wrong sport. “He was one of the most athletic tennis players you will see, one of my favorite players to watch and face,” smiled Serbian Novak Djokovic, the only one of the giants that Monfils never managed to defeat at least once.
"The photos when he dives at the end of the race, and we really see that he is horizontal, squarely parallel with the ground... These photos at Roland-Garros, they mark me because it shows all his determination, his physical qualities which are just incredible too, remembers Marine Partaud, France Télévisions consultant and ex-member of the French Top 15. I think that's what will mark me the most about him."
Because "la Monf'" enjoys a strange image, that of an outstanding showman, to the point of frequently putting his tennis skills in the background. "I'm happy to do the show, but the first thing I have in mind is to win. It's funny that people think that I prefer to do the show. In the end, maybe that's what they want me to be", confided Gaël Monfils in the Tennis Insider Club podcast of ex-player Caroline Garcia, on May 24, 2026.
It is also the cruel lot of magnificent losers, a fate almost unanimously reserved for the ATP circuit in the days of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Injuries, a hint of nonchalance and a few missed opportunities (three Masters 1000 finals without a title, including two in Paris in 2009 and 2010) finished cementing this reputation.
“He often finds himself alongside the greatest,” notes Constance Sénac de Monsembernard, consultant for France Télévisions, France TV Sport and founder of the Jeu, Set et Maths account, specializing in tennis statistics. Gaël Monfils qualified for at least one final during nineteen consecutive seasons, between 2005 and 2023. And that, there are only four players who have done as well: Djokovic (21 seasons), Federer (20 seasons), and the duo Nadal - Jimmy Connors, who is at 19 seasons. Even if these are not grand slam tournaments, in terms of longevity, he is alongside the greatest players.
Lacking a track record commensurate with his brilliance, Monfils-style romanticism remains. That of a player capable of smashing like a basketball player slamming a dunk, and of shots of which only he has the secret. But also some mischief which made him one of the most endearing players of his generation. And it is perhaps his peers, interviewed in 2018 by the organizers of the men's circuit, who describe him best. “Formidable”, for the current world number one Alexander Zverev or one of his most illustrious predecessors, Roger Federer. “Funny” for the Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro, former winner of the US Open in 2009. And even “magical” for Rafael Nadal, who nevertheless knew a thing or two about conjuring.
“You felt that he wanted to live, he didn't want to be robotized by tennis and not have lived next to it,” says Marine Partaud on Gaël Monfils, equal on and off the courts. At 16-17 he was already on the circuit, so you imagine that until the age of 40, you can't put 23 years of your life aside. That's what he did, maybe it cost him on his tennis results, honestly we can always say that he could have done better But I'm not sure that it's really a regret. I think he can be proud to emerge from such an incredible career, and I think he would have signed at the very beginning to have a career like that.
His hasty retirement took with it this art of tennis living and these unique strokes of brilliance, which will leave an even more indelible mark in people's minds than his accomplishments. “I don't think he realizes the importance he could have had for a whole bunch of players like me,” said former Japanese world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who places him on the same level as sisters Serena and Venus Williams for his contribution to players of color.
