“Roland-Garros, I love you, I owe you everything, goodbye until we meet again” : Gaël Monfils’ last words to Paris

I’ll try to be quick and concise. And I’ll start quite simply with you. Mum and Dad. Once again, thank you. It’s thanks to these two people, Sylvette and Ruffin. They created the little guy you saw on the screens with the little glasses. I never stopped pestering my parents. I wanted to play football. I wanted to play tennis. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to do sports.

But at one point, I really wanted to play tennis. My father believed in it right away. My mother, she still told me to keep up with my studies. Me: “But Mum, I have to go, I have to go to CREPS.” And I managed to get into CREPS at thirteen years old. So that’s where the adventure began for me.

Once again, thank you to my parents, because it’s thanks to them too.

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There’s a gentleman who helped my dad and who’s here today, his name is Richard Vermot. When I was eleven, he believed in me very early on. Thank you so much, because you were already talking to me about Roland-Garros and all of that.

I’d like to thank the federation. They took me in very early, at the age of thirteen. Thanks to you, I was able to express myself, I was able to learn how to play tennis, learn to understand tennis, travel. And there you go, once again, I’d never have made it without you, without your hand, without your help. So a huge thank you to the French Tennis Federation.

I’d like to thank all my coaches. I won’t name them all, but there are many. There are many who meant an enormous amount to me, many who became friends, who got to know me, who helped me with my personality — which isn’t necessarily easy, but very easy once you know me.

Thank you to them for letting me make the bad choices, then letting me make the good ones, for letting me express myself the way I felt on the court, try new things every day

Thank you to them for letting me make the bad choices, then letting me make the good ones, for letting me express myself the way I felt on the court, try new things every day. They’ll all recognise themselves. Thank you to all my coaches throughout my career.

I’d like to thank my family, my little brother Darryl. We didn’t see each other much. I left very early. That’s maybe the thing that hurts me the most. You’d think it’s my parents? But really, it’s my little brother. I didn’t see him grow up. It was the most beautiful thing in my life. That’s changed now because now it’s Skaï, my daughter. But you’re the second most beautiful thing in my life. A huge thank you to my little brother who supported me throughout my career. He was there for me all the time. Darryl, he’s a chef who knows how to take care of you.

I’d also like to give a nod to my two half-sisters, who to me are real sisters. They were always there when we were younger, always ready to listen. So Rosie and Maely, thank you for everything.

So now I’m going to thank Elina, my wife, because without her I might not even still be here tonight.

You normally speak French, Elina. So now I’m going to thank Elina, my wife, because without her I might not even still be here tonight. We’ve been together for eight years, eight beautiful years. You’ve been by my side. I’m not talking about Elina Svitolina the player. I’m talking about the woman, the real woman, my wife who is there at every moment, in all of them. She has always known how to support me as a man, not as a tennis player. Elina has always been there in my moments of doubt. She has always known how to lift me up, encourage me, love me, and above all she gave me the most beautiful gift in the world with our daughter. I love you.

I have a lot of friends. They’re loud. Thank you so much. You’ve supported me for 22 years. We’ve been a group of mates. We really all met very early. They’re friends I went to nursery school with. In secondary school, they followed me even when I was at Pôle France. They’re here, so they’re real friends. I really want to thank you all. Thank you forever.

To the former players who are here, thank you for coming to support me. I think you’ve all been through this and it really makes me happy to see you in the stands. I saw earlier my little Gilou (Gilles Simon), Ritchie (Gasquet), and I think Jo (-Wilfried Tsonga) must be up there. These guys, I owe them so much. They’re truly my brothers in arms, my brothers, plain and simple. And I really want to say thank you to them for the love they’ve given me. For the help. We were never in competition. Gilles, Richard and Jo, they’ve always been there off the court. That’s something tennis gave me and it’s very precious to me. Thank you so much, guys.

To finish, I’d like to thank you all. Every year, I come to play at Roland-Garros. I get chills every time I come here. It’s magical, it’s something incredible. I’ve built something strong, unique, exceptional, and I truly love you. I’m really, really going to miss you. And I’d like to say a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart, forever.

Thank you to all the people behind the scenes who made this tournament magnificent. Every year, the ball kids, the line judges, the transport staff, the canteen staff, truly all these wonderful people have done an incredible job. The security guards. Truly, this tournament is fabulous and magical. I’ll definitely be back to say it again.

Roland-Garros, I love you, I owe you everything, and I’ll say to you: until we meet again. Thank you for everything you’ve given me.