Gaël Monfils has always known how to turn a tennis court into a stage. Last Wednesday, Court Philippe-Chatrier provided the grandest backdrop for his farewell. During an exhibition event dubbed "Gaël and Friends", the 39-year-old Frenchman shared the court with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Naomi Osaka, Maria Sakkari and his wife Elina Svitolina. Fittingly, the Monfils-Svitolina duo won the exhibition, a script Hollywood would not have dared write.
In the stands, Svitolina struggled to hold back tears. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, companions of a golden generation of French tennis, were also in attendance. "I was not strong enough to win a Grand Slam," Monfils told the Chatrier crowd. "But I perhaps won more. I won a career that I'm proud of."
Those words encapsulate thirty years of a love story between Monfils and Roland-Garros. A former world No.6, winner of eleven ATP titles, the man of impossible acrobatics and extraordinary passing shots left a mark on French tennis like few others. He announced his retirement in October 2025, dedicating the 2026 season to a farewell tour.
On Monday, he will step onto court to face Hugo Gaston in the first round, courtesy of a wild card from the tournament. An all-French affair, between the showman taking his final bow and the drop-shot artist trying to relaunch his career. Monfils holds no illusions about his chances in the draw, but the competitor in him remains: "I still want to play one, two, or three good matches."
Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion also on a farewell tour, was honored during the same ceremony. Both veterans embody the end of an era, one shaped by the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic rivalry that defined every draw.
Whatever happens on Monday, Chatrier will do what it does best for its own: roar, sing and weep. Monfils deserves every decibel.
