Gael Monfils to get Paris farewell ceremony on Tuesday night
The Rolex Paris Masters will honor Gael Monfils on Tuesday night, three weeks after his name went on the ITIA’s retired players list and ruled him out of a final tournament at home. The twice Paris finalist announced the tribute himself on Twitch, and tournament director Cédric Pioline said it was built “together.”
Rolex Paris Masters, 2026 | © Chryslène Caillaud / PsNewz
Gael Monfils will say goodbye to Paris without hitting a ball. The Rolex Paris Masters will hold a ceremony for the Frenchman on Tuesday night, after the first match of the evening session. Tournament director Cédric Pioline said it is meant to close “23 years of career of a great champion.”
The tribute replaces the farewell Monfils had hoped for on court. The 40-year-old has been officially retired since Oct. 5, after asking to be placed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s list of retired players. That listing rules a player out of competition for at least six months. It cost Monfils the wild card he had received for Lyon, and his hope of ending his career in Paris.
Monfils announced the Paris tribute himself on Twitch. He promised a big show and the chance to say goodbye to the French crowd in person. He said it would be much shorter than his Roland-Garros tribute earlier this year, since a second match follows, and that he had spoken with Pioline.
He linked his decision to his separation from his wife, Elina Svitolina, saying she had done nothing wrong but that he had not been able to train the way he wanted.
Pioline said the tournament found out “a little like everyone else, from the moment it leaked, or more exactly, became public” that Monfils could no longer play as a professional. “Then, little by little, we got back in touch, and we said to ourselves that we would build a moment for him, together,” Pioline said on Friday.
Probably the most popular Frenchman of the last decades
“He’s an incredible catalyst of energy, probably the most popular Frenchman of the last decades, Pioline said. When he was on court, something always happened, with that particular energy and that very particular bond with his public.”
“A great champion, an incredible athlete,” Pioline added. “And no, it wasn’t complicated, because it’s not up to us to send him out there. It was his job.”
French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said: “I think he deserves it, and we are all delighted to be able to celebrate Gael Monfils, this extraordinary player who has given us so much pleasure for so many years,” Moretton said.
Monfils twice reached the final in Paris. He lost to Novak Djokovic in 2009 and to Robin Söderling in 2010. The Parisian, a former world No. 6, won 13 tour-level titles. Pioline recalled that he remains the last Frenchman to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals, in 2016. His last match as a pro was a second-round loss to Learner Tien at the US Open in September. Tien is seeded No. 15 in Paris this week.
The ceremony is part of a week built around the tournament’s 40th edition. Boris Becker, the first champion in 1986, will present the trophy on Sunday, and former winners will appear on Centre Court from Wednesday.
