Tennis: the flamboyant Monfils bids farewell with simplicity
The end of Gaël Monfils' career is as quiet as the crowds he attracted on the court: the player has officially been "retired" from the circuit since October 5, as confirmed by tennis anti-doping authorities to AFP on Wednesday.
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“My last goal is to play at least until I'm 40,” the Parisian had declared as he approached the 2025 US Open.
A challenge narrowly met by “La Monf,” who played his last official match at 40 years and two days old – a defeat in the second round of the US Open in early September.
The two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist (Roland Garros 2008, US Open 2016) had hinted that he would like to continue until the Paris Masters 1000 (November 2-8), to bid farewell to tennis in front of a French audience that he has thrilled for so long.
In the nearer future, the former world No. 6 (currently 254th) had received an invitation to participate in the ATP 250 in Lyon (October 19-25).
“For personal reasons, Gaël Monfils will not be able to accept the wild card that was offered to him and will not participate in the tournament,” the organizers announced on Instagram on Wednesday. “We fully respect his decision and wish him all the best.”
Monfils' decision to register on October 5 on the list of retired players with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) comes a few weeks before the conclusion of a professional career that began in 2004.
“More difficult” physically
By joining this list, Monfils has effectively lost the right to participate in tournaments and can only play again after being available for random anti-doping tests for at least six months.
An unlikely prospect, as in New York, the brand-new 40-year-old admitted that his body no longer responded as well as before to the demands of his spectacular and physical style of play.
“You play a rally, you feel like you're recovering a bit less well (...) In the exchange, you want to vary the rhythm, to show your power, but you realize that it's more difficult to achieve,” he explained.
If the Parisian, holder of 13 ATP titles, had not officially announced his retirement on Wednesday morning, his withdrawal marks the end of an era for French tennis.
After Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon (both retired since 2022), and Richard Gasquet (retired since 2024), “La Monf” is the last of the four “musketeers” of his generation to hang up his racquet.
But unlike his contemporaries, who all occupy roles related to tennis, the current 254th player had indicated in September his intention to become a “wealth manager” for a Swiss company.
Tennis, “not an end in itself”
In 23 seasons on the circuit, the right-hander participated in 35 finals and lost 22 of them, including three in Masters 1000 (Paris in 2009 and 2010, Monte Carlo in 2016).
A spectacular player admired beyond French borders, Monfils symbolically lost his last official match against one of his admirers, the young American Learner Tien.
A few weeks before eliminating him at the US Open, the 20-year-old left-hander had already beaten Monfils at the Masters 1000 in Montreal and had distinguished himself by asking for an autograph from the Frenchman – who obliged with a smile before warmly embracing Tien.
“La Monf” achieved his last feat at the beginning of the 2025 season: by winning the Auckland tournament at over 38 years old, he became the oldest player to win a title on the main circuit since 1977.
Serbian Novak Djokovic, who won the ATP 500 in Beijing in early October at 39 years old, has since surpassed him in the records.
Like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic often stood in the way of Monfils' great ambitions, the former junior world No. 1 and winner of three Grand Slam titles in that category in 2004.
“I'm not particularly afraid of retirement,” the French veteran told AFP in December 2024.
“I love tennis, I love competition, but it's not an end in itself. I want to explore many other things,” he added.
His new life begins now.
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