PARIS — After taking a 5-3 lead in the fourth set with a forehand winner, Gael Monfils waved his arms to the devoted crowd of nearly 15,000 at Philippe-Chatrier court, encouraging them to cheer.
The fans didn’t need the reminder — but they obliged all the same.
Moments later, he forced a deciding set against Hugo Gaston. There were “Ga-el, Ga-el” cheers, as had been heard throughout the steamy Parisian evening, and “Staying Alive” blared on the stadium loudspeaker. Dozens of “Merci Gael” shirts could be seen throughout the stands.
It seemed, thanks yet again to his signature, high-energy style and astounding shotmaking — that he had found magic at Roland Garros one more time. But, despite the never-ending will of those in attendance, it was not to be. Gaston, his fellow Frenchman 14 years his junior, routed him in the final set for a 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, 6-0 final and, just like that, Monfils’ storied career at the French Open had come to a close.
The 39-year-old Monfils had announced at the start of the season that it would be his last on tour. And though there are many tournaments he still hopes to play, including Wimbledon and the US Open, everyone knew the French Open would be the most significant, and where he would receive the grandest of send-offs. He had won it as a junior in 2004, and Roland Garros had been the site of his first major semifinal as a professional. And it’s also where, in the words of tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, he could be described only as a “French legend.”
After the match was over, when addressing the crowd, he called the tournament “unique, exceptional and amazing.”
“I shiver, I say it’s magic, it’s something incredible,” he said in French about playing at the event.
Less than an hour later, he told reporters he still hadn’t fully processed the night.
“It’s a mixed feeling between happiness, sadness, and, you know, it’s a lot of feelings, a lot of emotion,” he said. “It’s very hard to describe.”
Though it might take some time for Monfils to appreciate all that he has achieved, those in the sport are already more than aware of his legacy and influence. For many years, he had been among France’s best hopes to win a major title, and though that probably won’t happen, it’s clear, based on the reception from the crowd Monday night and the glowing video tribute that featured several Slam champions, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, among many others, he won’t soon be forgotten.
“Gael, thank you for everything,” Alcaraz said in the video. “For me, you were a true inspiration. A great athlete, but the most important thing, a great person off the court.”
After defeating Monfils in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open, Ben Shelton, like so many others, couldn’t help but praise his opponent.
“Gael is a guy that I’ve watched since I was a little kid,” Shelton said. “I always say that he’s the greatest highlight tape of all time.”
It’s a sentiment that has been echoed throughout Monfils’ career.
Known for infectious energy, dazzling athleticism and an endless array of jaw-dropping and physics-defying shots, Monfils has long been a crowd favorite at tour stops around the globe. In an open letter to their 3-year-old daughter for “The Players Tribune,” Elina Svitolina — who had a dramatic three-set victory of her own earlier in the day Monday — compared watching Monfils to hearing the perfect song at a concert or the perfect line in a movie.
“Gael Monfils was one of the greatest shot-makers anyone has ever seen. There are others who were more consistent, or who made fewer mistakes … but it’s interesting,” Svitolina wrote. “Because when you say why these players are great, maybe you are needing to give a long explanation. Or you are needing to show many statistics, or a whole match, or a whole tournament. But with your dad? It’s not like this.
“With your dad, it’s so simple. You can show someone a single point of his, even a single shot … and now they will ‘get it.’ Because your dad, in just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what I think few athletes ever achieve. He could make people feel something.”
That was evident in the match Monday night. The crowd seemed to live and breathe with every point, chanting and yelling “Allons-y!” (“Let’s go!”) whenever it seemed he needed a moment of encouragement.
And that reception was hardly anything new. Monfils has always drawn the cheers and the crowds, but since he announced this would be his final year on tour, it has only increased. Felix Auger-Aliassime played Monfils at Indian Wells in March and he said the crowd was unlike anything he had previously experienced.
“The atmosphere on the court was absolutely unbelievable,” Auger-Aliassime said last week. “It was the first round. People were so happy, so excited to see him one last time. He’s very loved everywhere he goes.”
A highly touted junior player, who reached the world No. 1 ranking and won three of the four major boys’ singles titles in 2004, Monfils was the 2005 ATP Newcomer of the Year. But his professional career never quite reached the same heights, nor lived up to early expectations — in large part because he was playing in the era of the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Though many hoped he could be the one to snap the major drought among French men — 43 years and counting — that seems all but impossible now. Still, he notched two major semifinal appearances (at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open), won 13 ATP titles and achieved a No. 6 world ranking.
But as Svitolina noted, “statistics will not capture his whole unique greatness.” His legacy extends beyond simply results or trophies. As a Black player, who started his career at a time when there were few on tour, many credit him for helping inspire the next generation.
“Honestly for me, seeing representation is so important,” four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, 28, said. “On the women’s side, for me growing up, I had Serena and Venus [Williams], so I was so grateful to them. On the men’s side I always looked up to [Monfils] and [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga for such a long time. I think it’s just so important. And obviously there is a wave of Black French guys coming up. … I know for sure he’s inspired a lot of players here. I just really love the way he carries himself, the way he represents us.”
Osaka held a dinner party last week in Paris, alongside Taylor Townsend, for the Black players competing at the French Open. Monfils was in attendance. When addressing backlash about the event, Osaka wrote it was “a celebration about how far we have come” in the sport.
Auger-Aliassime, 25, said Monfils helped bring in “players who were not necessarily that interested in tennis” previously and brought in a “different perspective.” Arthur Fils, a 21-year-old French player who is Black, has repeatedly called Monfils a “big brother” figure and someone he grew up watching. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, another up-and-coming Black French player who lost to Djokovic on Philippe-Chatrier court Sunday, has cited Monfils among his childhood idols.
For others, it’s Monfils’ personality and warmth that will be remembered most, although that too is something that Svitolina attributed in her letter to growing up Black in France and in the sport, and often needing to navigate unwelcoming environments. Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, said he has known Monfils since they were 13 or 14 and has considered him a friend and a rival — and one of his favorite players to watch — in the decades since.
“[He is] somebody that has touched so many people’s hearts, has respect from I think everyone in [the] men’s and women’s locker rooms, across all the generations he has competed with,” Djokovic said. “I mean, I don’t know anyone that really doesn’t like Gael.”
Ugo Humbert, a 27-year-old French player who grew up watching Monfils, seconded that assessment. After calling Monfils a “great person” who had always been there on tour for anyone who needed him, Humbert was asked during his pre-tournament news conference if he had ever heard anyone say anything bad about Monfils.
He didn’t hesitate.
“No. Honestly, no.”
And that, Djokovic said in his video tribute Monday, might just be Monfils’ “biggest victory” of all.
