ATP Tour

Monfils’ emotional Montreal message: ‘One last chapter, not on the couch’

Gael Monfils has always played with his heart on his sleeve. It is one of the reasons why the Frenchman has long connected with tennis fans around the globe.

Such emotion from Monfils was on full display Wednesday night at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, where the 39-year-old battled 12th seed Learner Tien in a three-set clash. Tien was victorious 6-3, 0-6, 6-3, ending Monfils’ final appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada. But the night was about more than a result.

Celebrating his 40th birthday on 1 September, Monfils shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, reflecting on his years spent at the hard-court tournament.

“Fifteen times I’ve come to this tournament. Fifteen,” Monfils wrote. “Eight of them right here in Montreal, the rest in Toronto. And every single one of them, this country gave me something.

“Thank you to the tournament for the invitation. You gave me a place in the draw and let me write one last chapter here instead of watching it from my couch. That’s class, and I won’t forget it.”

After the match, Tien requested an autograph from the Tour veteran. Monfils happily obliged. There was also a raucous centre court crowd throughout the evening.

“My God, the crowd,” Monfils continued. “Monday night was beautiful. But last night? Last night was something else. I lost, and you were LOUDER than on Monday. More vocal, more crazy, more with me on every point. You’ve always shown up for me here, whatever my ranking. I felt every bit of it.

“And honestly, I had so much fun out there. Congratulations to @learnertien . He was the better man, and he’s got a big, big future ahead of him.”

The former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Monfils is set to retire at the end of the 2026 season. Across his 15 appearances in Canada, he made the semi-finals twice, in 2016 and 2019.

“I leave Canada for the last time with a full heart,” Monfils said. “Merci Montreal❤️.”