Gaël Monfils, 39, began what organisers called his farewell at Roland Garros as the 2026 French Open kicked off on 24/05/2026 in sizzling temperatures, a tournament that opened without defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is sidelined with an injury.
Monfils announced on the eve of the tournament that he will hang up his racquet at the end of the season, and spoke plainly about the measure of his career in front of a home crowd: "I was not strong enough to win a Grand Slam," he said, then added, "But I perhaps won more. I won a career that I’m proud of." Those lines landed before the city’s clay as Monfils and his wife, Elina Svitolina, teamed up to win a star-studded exhibition on the eve, a lighthearted curtain-raiser that also featured former Davis Cup teammates Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet.
The weight of Monfils’ farewell is not in trophies. He has won 13 ATP titles across a career spanning two decades and reached the last four in Paris in 2008 — one of his two major semi-final appearances — but the applause in Paris was for more than results. Roberta, speaking at a tribute event, captured that mood: "Never mind the Grand Slams – Gaël has brought so much more than titles to the sport," she said, adding, "His positive, relaxed and uncomplaining attitude has always been refreshing for the sport."
Context matters. The clay court drama this year arrives with a notable absence: world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz did not play because he was nursing an injury, a reality that reshapes the title picture. The women’s draw is described as wide open — and that openness is sharpened by Elina Svitolina’s surge. Svitolina won the Italian Open last week, outlasting Coco Gauff in the final and beating Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek en route to the title, leaving her among the contenders as Roland Garros begins.
Tension threaded the opening days. Fans flocked in the heat to see Monfils’ farewell match on Monday, 25/05/2026, when he was scheduled to take on Hugo Gaston in the first round, but questions linger about how far an ageing favourite can realistically go. Noah Kouchachi, reflecting on the field, called it "a dream being here – but a bittersweet one in the absence of Alcaraz," and added bluntly about the favourites, "Djoker (Novak Djokovic) is the only one who could pull it off" and "But at his age – and in this heat – one has to be realistic." Even casual conversation among fans in the stands ranged widely — from memories of Monfils’ athleticism to mentions of other names like Stan Wawrinka — a reminder that Roland Garros is a gathering for generations of tennis figures.
The contradiction at the heart of Monfils’ visit is simple: he arrives as a farewell act at his home major without the Grand Slam trophy that defines ultimate success in the sport. Yet the exhibition that paired Monfils and Svitolina with Tsonga and Gasquet, and the warm tributes that followed, underline a different ledger of achievement: longevity, showmanship and national affection. Novak Djokovic, asked about Monfils, put it plainly: "I don’t know anyone that really doesn’t like Gaël."
Monfils’ decision to retire at the end of the season closes a chapter that has been long and visible — two decades, 13 titles, that semi-final run in 2008 — and it changes the stakes of each match he plays this fortnight. He has framed his own story honestly; he said he wasn’t strong enough to claim a major but insisted he had won a life he can be proud of. That line — "But I perhaps won more. I won a career that I’m proud of." — is the clearest measure of what Roland Garros will remember: not a missing trophy case, but a player who left the crowd richer for having watched him try.
