Gael Monfils joined by Musketeers for Roland Garros farewell, explains desire to play until 40

PARIS—It was only fitting that Gael Monfils closed out his Roland Garros career by going the distance.

From his second appearance 20 years ago when the Frenchman won a trio of five-setters, to late Monday night under the lights on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the man they called "La Monf" played a deciding set at his home major on 17 occasions (going 12-5).

His final performance ended in defeat, to Hugo Gaston, but not before clawing back to make one final stand. The left-hander ultimately advanced through the battle of wild cards, 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0.

“Honestly, I'd say it was not a regular match, so I step on the court feeling completely different,” Monfils said in the English portion of his post-match press conference.

“Hugo was playing great. So I had to retake control of my mind, of my body, try to reconnect with myself, and then I think I start to hit a little bit better, strike better, be a bit more patient, have a better vision also of what I wanted to do, and push him a little bit through a tougher match.”

My wish is to be an athlete that plays until 40 years old. Gael Monfils

Monfils shared last October that 2026 would be his farewell season, but even having time to build up for his last appearance here couldn’t prepare him for the emotions of entering the stadium.

“You go out on the court, the feeling is different, you feel good but you don't feel good both at the same time,” he told French-speaking press. “It's very hard to explain, because when I went out on the court, I was not feeling as good as I felt five minutes before. So it's as if you want to do things too well. It puts you in a very tricky position.”

After taking the microphone to acknowledge his friends, family and fans among others, Monfils was sent off by his fellow Musketeers: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet. All capped their careers on home soil, with Tsonga and Gasquet retiring at Roland Garros and Simon bidding adieu at the Rolex Paris Masters when it was held in Bercy.

Monfils and his team haven’t finalized a retirement tour of sorts, with Wimbledon, Montreal and the US Open mentioned as ideal tournaments to request a wild card. The former world No. 6 does have one very specific target he wants to reach in the process.

“My wish is to be an athlete that plays until 40 years old,” stated Monfils, who reaches his milestone birthday on Sept. 1.

“Like Stan, like LeBron, like Cristiano, like Evra, like all of the athletes who have managed to continue their sport until the age of 40. And that's what I want to do. You know that whatever happens this summer, I'm locked in to train.”