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Gael Monfils says "the hardest part" about his retirement decision was relaying the news to his father Rufin, who has been his biggest support since Day 1 of his tennis journey.
After beating Ugo Humbert in the Wimbledon first round, Monfils lost his next five matches, with his last defeat coming at the Chengdu Open in mid-September. Two weeks after losing to Alexander Shevchenko in Chengdu, the 39-year-old announced via an Instagram post that the 2026 season would be his last on the Tour.
Monfils, who started his pro tennis career in 2004 and will celebrate his 40th birthday in September 2026, will be 40 when his career officially comes to an end.
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"For 40 years, my father has been driven by his son who wanted to play tennis from a very young age. Announcing my retirement to my father, that was really the hardest part I even told him that it wasnt easy to tell him," the 39-year-old told RTL France.
Monfils: I'm ready... I have a family and other responsibilities
Monfils, who tied the knot with Elina Svitolina in 2021 and welcomed daughter Skai in 2022, admitted in some of his past interviews that he probably would have retired a long time ago if not for the support of his wife. But now, the 13-time ATP champion believes it is time for him to close the tennis chapter.
"I've been thinking about it for quite some time. I'm finally ready to say goodbye to this sport that has given me everything. I still love tennis. But now it's more about age, recovery. I have a family now, other responsibilities. Performances are much harder to string together. These are simply natural things for any athlete. At some point, there is an end," the former world No. 6 added.
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Monfils went 18-15 in 2025 and even won the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland. He finished the year ranked at No. 68 in the world.
