According to Reuters on Sunday, Gilles Simon of Boulogne-Billancourt, France will retire from the ATP Tour at the end of 2022. Ranked as high as sixth in the world, Simon reached two grand slam quarterfinals in his career, and won 14 men’s singles titles. At 37 years of age, Simon has earned over $15 million during 19 years of professional tennis.
Simon reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2009 and Wimbledon in 2015. At the 2009 Australian Open, Simon got a lucky break when two-time grand slam semifinalist Gael Monfils of France withdrew in the fourth round because of a wrist injury. Then at Wimbledon in 2015, Simon beat Monfils in a five-set thriller in the third round, before upsetting 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the fourth round, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, in one of the most impressive victories in Simon’s career.
Of Simon’s 14 career titles, his most significant victory came at the 2011 German Open in Hamburg, where he beat Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the final, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Simon also won the Moselle Open thrice in his career. In fact, his last tournament victory came at the Moselle Open in 2018, when he beat Matthias Bachinger of Germany, 7-6, 6-1.
The fact that Simon is retiring should not come as a huge surprise. He has won only one ATP match so far this season. That came in the first round of the ATP event in Montpellier, where he beat fellow Frenchman Lucas Pouille, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4. Simon tried to qualify for the Australian Open, but lost in the first round of qualifying to 17-year-old Edward Winter of Australia, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
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