Opinion: Thrilling to see Gael Monfils live

Gael Monfils (Google Images)

According to the Associated Press, Gael Monfils of Paris, France has announced his initial intention to retire from professional tennis at the age of 39 at the end of the 2026 season. Monfils made the statement on social media.

Monfils is a two-time grand slam semifinalist. He made the final four of the 2008 French Open and 2016 United States Open. Monfils has also won 13 ATP events. They have been the 2005 Sopot Open in Poland, the 2009 Open de Moselle in France, the 2010, 2014 and 2020 Open Sud de France, the 2011 and 2023 Stockholm Open, the 2016 Washington Open, the 2018 Qatar Open, the 2019 and 2020 Rotterdam Open. the 2022 Adelaide International Open, and the 2025 Auckland Open.

The announcement of Monfils’s retirement should not be considered that much of a surprise, when you consider his current age of 39. However, one must realize Monfils is still playing tennis at a very high level.

Monfils is married to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. Just like Monfils, Svitolina is a high performance tennis player. She has reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2019 and 2023, and the United States Open in 2023. Svitolina and Monfils have a daughter together.

What stood out the most in watching Monfils over the years was his personality. He put a lot of emphasis on entertaining the crowd. He also had many injuries over the years, and it was common to see him pull out of tournaments. In March, I had the thrill of seeing Monfils live in his first round match at Indian Wells. On Court 2, which also houses three state of the art restaurants, Monfils defeated Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-4, 6-4. What stood out was his high level of determination and attempt to get after every tennis ball.