Gaël Monfils will play what could be his last match at his home Grand Slam against Hugo Gaston.
Monfils’ Inspiring Career
Gaël Monfils will retire at the end of this year as one of the most inspiring players in French tennis history. His impact on a generation of his young countrymen, and a generation of Black players both at home and abroad, has far outweighed the 13 titles he has so far collected through a 22-year career.
Naomi Osaka said that seeing representation is so important. She explained that she calls Monfils “The GOAT”.
Osaka said she always looked up to Monfils and [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga for a long time. She added that she knows for sure he’s inspired a lot of players.
Monfils’ Mark on Tennis
Monfils’ tennis still contributed plenty to the sport. He rose to a career-high No. 6 in the world and managed to leave his mark anyway.
His shot-making and athleticism transfixed even casual sports fans and provided a counterargument to tennis’ reputation as a stuffy, inaccessible sport. Monfils’ limbs seemed extendable when he galloped after shots or flung himself across a court to stick a racket on the ball.
He matched that with an indefatigability that so often came alive on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Against Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien last year, and against Argentina’s Sebastián Báez in 2023, Monfils, down on the scoreboard and wracked by cramps, rose to his congregation as they rose to him.
That disposition made it hard to root against him. The lasting image of Monfils’ career might be him keeling over with exhaustion after a marathon point, only to look up with a grin — whether he won the point or not.
“Ben Shelton told me of late that he would only watch Monfils highlights,” the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime said during a news conference. Players like Gaël are an inspiration for players who were not necess