The emotional farewell of Gael Monfils to Roland Garros has arrived, as the French showman bowed out after a 5-set loss to Hugo Gaston in his final French Open match.
Despite being two sets down to the unseeded Gaston on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 39-year-old Frenchmen played in typical spectacular fashion, using his explosive athleticism, electrifying movement and spectacular stroke-play to fight back to 2 sets all in the match, however fatigue took over as Monfils bowed out of Roland Garros for the last time with a 2-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-0 loss to Gaston.
Tributes were pouring in from around the world as the “showman” and “magician” is due to retire at the end of the season after a 23-year career which has seen 13 ATP titles and 38 wins against top 10 players, as well as reaching two finals in the Davis Cup with France. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal are just a few of the names paying tribute as Elina Svitolina said, “[he could] make people feel something.”
Never winning a Grand Slam, reaching a high of number 6 in the world, Monfils is now one of the most entertaining sportsmen and his legacy includes a record for the most French Grand Slams ever, and his influence is visible on current stars such as Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka, and his farewell arrived on the day that Stan Wawrinka was also defeated in Paris to bring to an end the end of an era.
