PARIS — In front of a near-capacity crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier that cheered and chanted loudly until the final point, Gael Monfils said au revoir to the French Open with an emotional 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 loss to Hugo Gaston in the first round Monday night.
After falling into a two-set deficit, Monfils showed flashes of what made him one of the sport’s most beloved showmen for over two decades with brilliant shot-making and electrifying athleticism to force a fourth set and then a decider. But in the last set, he simply had nothing left to give, despite the best efforts of nearly everyone in attendance.
Facing match point, the crowd — which included a large section of his family and friends — chanted “Ga-el, Ga-el,” as they had so many times throughout the match. Though he staved off the first match point, he lost on Gaston’s second attempt moments later.
When it was over, after 3 hours, 22 minutes, so was Monfils’ storied career at Roland Garros. The 39-year-old had previously said this would be his final year on tour, and his last appearance at the tournament.
The fans rose to their feet for an ovation, and after exchanging a hug and congratulatory words, Gaston pointed to Monfils, encouraging the crowd to continue cheering instead of celebrating his victory
An on-court ceremony followed, which included a highlight video featuring many of Monfils’ best moments from the tournament, including winning the junior title in 2004 and reaching the semifinals in 2008.
Monfils then addressed the crowd and started by thanking his parents.
“I am here tonight because of those two people,” he said in French.
Monfils, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 6, went on to acknowledge his siblings, the French Tennis Federation and his longtime French peers and close friends Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon. He concluded by thanking his wife, Elina Svitolina, the current world No. 7, who could be seen wiping tears throughout most of his speech.
“Without her, I may not be here tonight,” he said, adding that she supported him “as a man and not as a tennis man” and thanked her for giving him his greatest gift: their 3-year-old daughter, Skai.
Another video tribute was then shown to the crowd, the majority of whom remained in their seats despite it being well after midnight and the last metro trains soon departing. This one featured many of his longtime rivals, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“My friend, incredible career, one of the most likable guys, fun guys out there,” Djokovic said. “There’s no one that doesn’t like you, Gael. I think that’s your biggest victory. We go back since we were 13, 14 years of age and we faced each other for the first time. You’ve always been a guy that gives you a smile, says hello every single time, respects everyone. That’s why the legacy that you built, not just as a tennis player, but as a person will stay forever.”
In addition to his French peers, and 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner also addressed Monfils in the video.
“We players, we’re going to miss you Gael, especially in the locker room,” Sinner, the world No. 1, said. “I’m a huge fan of you.”
Monfils then ended the night with a group embrace on the court with Tsonga, Gasquet and Simon — known together as “The New Musketeers” — for one last time. Monfils is the only one of the four, once seen as the promising future of French tennis, who remains an active player.
Monfils plans to play the rest of the 2026 season, although he is not entirely sure which tournaments that will include. He told reporters he is currently hoping to receive wild cards for Wimbledon and the US Open. He reached the semifinals in New York in 2016. He expects to conclude his career at the Paris Masters event in November.
Svitolina is among the favorites to win the women’s title at Roland Garros. She won the Italian Open earlier this month and won her first-round match earlier Monday.
