Paris (France) (AFP) – Gaël Monfils, forced to abort his farewell tour on October 5 for personal reasons, will nevertheless enjoy one last "big show" on Tuesday at the Masters 1000 in Paris, the opportunity for the French public to say goodbye to a player who will leave an indelible mark on the world circuit.

Published on: 03/11/2026 - 08:29

On the courts or in front of his television set, "he's a player who everyone will miss", urges his friend Gilles Simon, member with Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet of the club of the four new musketeers who brought French tennis to the start of the millennium.

A semi-finalist at Roland-Garros at the age of 21 in 2008, the Parisian “had this link and this connection with the public around the world”, notes Simon, retired since 2022.

“He was one of the most athletic tennis players you will see, one of my favorite players to watch and play against,” smiles Novak Djokovic, undefeated against Monfils in 20 meetings.

For "La Monf", playing tennis well meant putting on a show.

“I've been watching him since I was a kid. He has the best highlight video (his most beautiful points, Editor's note) of all time,” praises US Open finalist Ben Shelton (4th in the world).

These include his forward extension smashes which looked like a dunk from his idol Kobe Bryant, his “tweeners” (shots hit between the legs) with the cheek or his fantastic slides.

“He is a player who is an incredible catalyst of energy,” enthuses the director of the Paris Masters 1000 Cédric Pioline, who promises a “beautiful ceremony” to “close 23 years of career of a great champion.”

"Unpredictable"

His career was crowned with success with 13 titles, including three ATP 500s (Rotterdam 2020 and 2019, Washington 2016), until reaching 6th world ranking in 2016 and remaining a total of 96 weeks in the top 10.

Despite everything, the tennis-champagne enthusiast was able to harbor some regrets, hampered by his physical problems and his permanent taste for going against the grain. He lost his three Masters 1000 finals, including two in Paris in 2009 and 2010.

During a match, he could be intractable against Nadal, Federer or Djokovic then become totally nonchalant and commit a string of unforced errors.

“Gaël is unpredictable,” said the Serbian after his victory in the semi-final of the US Open in 2016.

This personality trait will follow him until the end of his career: the Parisian showman formalized his sporting retirement in complete discretion, by registering at the beginning of October on a confidential list of the anti-doping authorities.

In reality, the choice of the tricolor darling was precipitated by the announcement of his divorce made by the Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, whose life he had shared since 2018 and with whom he had a daughter, Skaï.

During a live broadcast on the social network Twitch, the darling of the French public explained that he was not at his "psychological peak" and was unable to play the ATP 250 in Lyon and the Masters 1000 in Paris as he had initially planned.

Autograph

But "of course I wasn't going to leave like that", he told his community, wishing to "say goodbye in person" to the French public, during a last tribute scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Even without a major title to his name, the person leaves the circuit without "any regrets", just the impression of having been "very lucky". His image as a handsome loser has never harmed him outside French borders.

“He touched an audience well beyond tennis, inspired many young people, particularly from diverse backgrounds. When I was younger, I wanted to be like him,” greets the American Frances Tiafoe (9th in the world).

“I don't think he realizes the importance he could have had for a whole bunch of players like me,” says former Japanese world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who places him on an equal footing with sisters Serena and Venus Williams.

His latest hitter on the circuit, Learner Tien, an American player born to parents who fled Vietnam, even asked Monfils for an autograph this summer after beating him in Montreal in August.

© 2026 AFP

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