Gael Monfils’ retirement from tennis is a huge shame, but it did feel inevitable.
After all, at 40 years of age, the French magician had given plenty to the sport across a sparkling 22-year career. He has earned the right to depart on his own terms, still proving himself more than competitive at the pinnacle.
It’s desperately sad that he will not get the dramatic send-off that a player of his calibre deserves, having opted against playing in Lyon and Paris.
Monfils’ silent retirement came as a shock to many.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the latest to weigh in on the legendary veteran’s departure from the sport, speaking after his latest win in Kazakhstan.
Stefanos Tsitsipas gives his thoughts on Gael Monfils’ retirement
Replying to a question asked on behalf of Tennishead at his latest Almaty Open press conference, Tsitsipas began by outlining the nature of his relationship with Gael Monfils: “Great friend of mine, one of my best friends that I have on tour. An absolutely lovely soul.”
He continued: “I’m actually quite sad that tennis is going to lose a person like that. You don’t find players on tour like him, and I really don’t know when it’s going to be the next one, his predecessor, because he just has this charisma about himself that it’s very difficult to find another person.”
Tsitsipas reinforced that he will miss Monfils greatly, insisting that he’d love to keep in touch with him beyond tennis.
“A very pure good heart,” the Greek star theorised. “Away from the tennis court, I am 100% sure he’s an unbelievable guy to hang out with.”
His prediction was forged by his belief that he and Monfils both share a similar creativity, and he finished by saying: “Of course, let’s not forget the unbelievable athlete that he is, but he is because he’s achieved incredible things in tennis, for French sport, as an ambassador for our sport.
“I have plenty of friends back home that when they think of tennis, Gael Monfils is one of the first people that come to their minds and they’re big fans of him.
“And despite, believe it or not, having never won a Grand Slam, he’s probably as respected as someone that has won multiple Grand Slams.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas is enjoying a strong end to 2026
Tsitsipas himself would admit that the past few years have been a huge struggle for him.
Even this year, by June, the 28-year-old had dropped to 88th in the world rankings. Everyone knew he was better than this position suggested, but his form was not proving it.
It’s therefore so refreshing to see him enjoy this resurgence at the back end of 2026, kickstarted with his title in Gstaad.
He steadily picked up wins across the summer, before surging into the fourth round of the US Open, beating Arthur Fils before losing to the eventual finalist Ben Shelton. This represented his best Grand Slam performance in nearly two years.
And now, in Almaty, Tsitsipas awaits Nikoloz Basilashvili in the semi-final, with a golden opportunity to reach another tour-level final, and is already back up to 33rd in the live rankings.