One of the most entertaining players of his generation appears to have walked away from tennis without the farewell many fans expected.
Gael Monfils has been listed as retired by tennis’s integrity agency, with his career officially ending Oct. 5, 2026. The French star, who is 40, had planned to retire at the end of the season. The news emerged through an official listing rather than a farewell announcement.
Has Gael Monfils officially retired?
Monfils has not publicly confirmed it. But the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees drug testing in the sport, lists him among players who have declared themselves retired. The agency enforces antidoping and anticorruption rules across professional tennis.
Players on that list must be available for testing for six months before they can return to competition. That rule makes a comeback unlikely. In practice, that means he would need to give the agency months of notice before playing again.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, organizers of a tournament in Lyon said Gael Monfils would not play next week, citing personal reasons. He had received a wild card into the event.
Why is the timing a surprise?
Many expected Monfils to say goodbye in front of his home fans. The Paris Masters, which begins Oct. 31, was widely seen as the setting for his final match. He reached two finals at the Paris Masters, in 2009 and 2010, falling short both times.
Instead, his last tournament appearance may have come weeks ago. He is currently ranked 254th in the world.
How did Gael Monfils say goodbye to Grand Slam tennis?
With a memorable run at the U.S. Open in September. He lost a tough match to Learner Tien in the second round. Tien, a young American, is one of the rising players on tour.
Before that loss, Gael Monfils became the oldest man to win a match at the U.S. Open since Jimmy Connors in 1992. Like Connors, he did it on his 40th birthday.
What did Gael Monfils accomplish in his career?
Monfils won 13 singles titles and climbed as high as No. 6 in the world rankings. In January 2025, he won the title in Auckland at 38, becoming the oldest man to win an ATP singles title.
His best Grand Slam results were two semifinal runs, at the 2008 French Open and the 2016 U.S. Open. He lost to Roger Federer in the 2008 French Open semifinals and to Novak Djokovic in the 2016 U.S. Open semifinals.
Monfils first made his name as a junior, winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon boys’ titles in 2004.
Fans knew him as much for his style as his results. His acrobatic athleticism, diving gets and showmanship made him one of the most popular players on tour. He often played to the crowd, mixing spectacular shots with moments of humor. French fans nicknamed him La Monf, and he remained a crowd favorite wherever he played.
What is next for Gael Monfils?
A new career away from the court. Monfils has said he is at peace with retiring and has signed on with a Swiss company to work in wealth management. The move marks a sharp change of pace for a player who spent more than two decades traveling the tour.
He is married to Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina, and the couple has a daughter. The couple married in 2021.
For French tennis fans, the lack of a final bow in Paris may sting. Still, the career of Gael Monfils leaves behind plenty of highlights worth remembering. Over more than two decades, he became one of the most recognizable figures in the sport.
