ATP Tour

Gael Monfils: Two decades of La Monf magic

In a spectacle of a sport, Gael Monfils was among the ATP Tour's most spectacular stars for two decades.

Ask any tennis fan about the high-flying Frenchman, and it's probably not a match, a tournament or even one of his 13 tour-level titles that first springs to mind. It's a moment: a flash of brilliance, a sparkle of showmanship; an inventive shot that only Monfils could try, let alone pull off.

La Monf loved to put on a show, testing his body's limits and the court's geometry. His airborne exploits could make a highlight reel all on their own, not to mention his elastic court coverage and behind-the-back flair. But for a man with so much style, Monfils never lacked for substance.

The 40-year-old hit a career-high of No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2016 and racked up 588 tour-level wins. He reached Grand Slam semi-finals at Roland Garros and the US Open, among 10 total trips to major quarter-finals; contested Masters 1000 finals in Paris (twice) and Monte-Carlo; and competed at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2016.

When he won the 2025 Auckland title at age 38, he became the oldest man since Ken Rosewall in 1977 to claim a tour-level crown. His first title came 20 years earlier at Sopot in 2005. But for all his success, it always felt like Monfils played primarily for the love of the game.

“When you love something so much, it never feels like a good time to say goodbye,” he wrote in October 2025, announcing that the 2026 season would be his last. “But 40 will be the right time for me."

Monfils first burst onto the tennis scene as a junior, winning the first three majors of 2004 and closing the year as junior world No. 1. He turned pro that same season, making his ATP Tour debut with a quarter-final run in Metz in his native France.

His second ATP Tour tournament came a few weeks later at the Rolex Paris Masters. A young man built for the big stages felt right at home on one of the biggest stages in France, beating Thomas Enqvist before falling to World No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. When asked last year about the most unique moment in his career, he reflected on that Paris night-session showcase against Hewitt.

"I really loved it, even though I lost the match," Monfils shared. "Everything was super new for me, I didn’t know what to expect. I saw the crowd involved [and I was] playing in front of a lot of people. That was quite unique for me."

The Paris-born prodigy would go on to reach consecutive finals at the ATP Masters 1000 in his home city in 2009 and 2010. He also thrilled Parisian fans at Roland Garros, posting 40 wins in 19 appearances at his home major, including a breakout semi-final run in 2008. His run that year as an unseeded player made him the first Frenchman to advance to the semis at his home major since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001. Monfils' 40 wins at Roland Garros ties Yannick Noah for most by a Frenchman in the Open Era.

Monfils loved nothing more than captivating crowds around the world, but he built a special relationship with the fans in his home city, calling those two events his favorite on tour.

"They are in Paris. The two mean a lot to me," he explained. "They are the two places where I have all my family and this is something amazing for me."

Once part of a quartet of Frenchmen who defined a generation of men's tennis in the country — alongside Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon — Monfils is now the last of the group to retire. But their exploits have helped spawn a new generation of French talent, led by the 22-year-old Arthur Fils, the highest-ranked of 11 Frenchmen in the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings. 

How does Monfils want to remembered by fans?

"The way they want. I'm just me, Gael Monfils. I think I have been the same since I came on tour with a lot of joy," Monfils said at this year's US Open. "And then I feel like you don't have to tell anyone how they want to [remember] you."