Gael Monfils might have played his final match at Roland Garros, but he was never going to leave without putting on one last show on the Parisian clay.
Competing in the final ATP Tour season of his career, Monfils delivered another magical performance Monday night in a dramatic first-round clash against countryman Hugo Gaston. After dropping the opening two sets, the 39-year-old mounted a trademark comeback in front of a packed Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd, winning the next two sets to force a deciding fifth set.
The look on the home favourite’s face in that moment said it all. The 13-time ATP Tour titlist wore a wry smile when he looked at his box. Could Monfils’ Roland Garros career end in any other way than a five-set battle?
Although Gaston ultimately prevailed, the fans gave Monfils a standing ovation following yet another valiant effort on the terre battue. It was the Frenchman’s 17th five-set match at the tournament, a record for the most in tournament history.
“It’s a mixed feeling between happiness, sadness, and it's a lot of feelings, a lot of emotion,” Monfils said. “It's very hard to describe. Somehow I don't want to dig too deep yet, but it's not easy.”
Not only was the crowd in Monfils' favour, but so was his opponent. Following the match, Gaston admitted that he also wanted to cheer for his countryman.
“It was quite a strange feeling when, at the end of the third set, everyone was shouting ‘Gael, Gael’,” Gaston said. “And I wanted to shout with them.”
Monfils finished his Roland Garros career with a 40-18 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The Frenchman’s best result on the terre battue came in 2008, when he reached the semi-finals and fell to Roger Federer in four sets. In addition, Monfils also reached three quarter-finals at his home Slam.
But Monfils’ effort at the clay-court major will never be measured in wins and losses, or even the round he reached in a given season. Instead, it will be the memories he created through his inimitable style of play and joie de vivre on court. When asked about his favourite matches, the Frenchman could not come close to narrowing it down himself.
“It's hard to really decide, but some were unbelievable. Even win or lose, I can name some. I really liked one I played with Cuevas, one I play with [David] Ferrer, one I play with Fabio [Fognini], one I play with [Sebastian] Baez. Me, I have two back to back, I really loved, it was against Dick Norman and James Blake. It was amazing,” Monfils said. “I have two amazing ones against Andy [Murray]. My first win on the centre court against Andy was five sets. I lost to him in a quarter-final in five sets. I love them.”
It was fitting that Monfils’ Roland Garros journey, during which he stepped into the spotlight 22 years ago by claiming the boys’ singles title, ended not in the disappointment of a loss, but a celebration. The emotional Frenchmen delivered an impactful speech on Court Philippe-Chatrier and was joined on court by fellow former Top-10 stars Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
“Even in my craziest dreams, I could never have imagined that it would be like this. It was really exceptional. It was a crazy opportunity,” Monfils said. “We imagine it without really imagining it.
“But between Thursday and this evening, what's been going on is really engraved in my memory. It's a tremendous opportunity. I was very lucky. It's something that will forever be engraved in my heart.”
The same way Monfils is engraved in fans’ hearts.
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