Paris – Perennial crowd favorite and former No. 6 in the world Gael Monfils said he will retire at the end of the 2026 tennis season.
The French veteran, known for his spectacular playing style and athleticism at the age of 39, announced in a message posted on social media on Wednesday: “It is about to be my last year as a professional tennis player.”
“I first held a half-and-half racket and started playing professionally at the age of 18,” Monphelis wrote. “The opportunity to turn my passion into a career is a privilege I cherish in every game and moment of my 21-year career. Although this game means the world to me, I am very calm about my decision.”
Monfils won 13 titles. His best in the Grand Slams were in two semi-finals, at the 2008 French Open and the 2016 US Open.
“I never won a major in my career when I approached. I won’t pretend to expect to do this in next year’s game,” Monphelis said, adding that he had no regrets.
“My feeling is that I’ve always been lucky: crazy, stupidly lucky,” he said. “I had the opportunity to play in the Golden Age of Tennis, and some of the greatest names in our sporting history: (Roger) Federer, (Raphael) Nadal, (Novak) Djokovic, (Andy) Murray.”
After the footsteps of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet, he was the last of a group of talented French players, known as the “Murderers” and called it the exit.
Monfils became the oldest player to win the ATP Tour title in January, achieving his feat in Auckland, New Zealand, when he won his 13th Tour after his 38-year-old first 132 days. He took over from Federer, who won his last tour championship of his career in 2019 at Basel, and he took over within 38 years and 74 days.
Monfils married Ukrainian player Elena Svitolina in 2021 and the couple has a daughter together. Monfils is currently ranked 53rd.
“For everyone who has ever cheered or yelledAllezGael! In real life or on TV screen: Your energy and love are really everything to me. ” Monfils said.
