When Gael Monfils‘ name appeared on the ITIA list of retired players, declaring the Frenchman retired from the sport as of October 5, eyebrows were raised in the tennis community. While 2026 was the farewell year for the former World No. 6, it was widely expected that the final curtain call for Monfils would come in front of his home audience at the Paris Masters. However, since then, a lot of information has surfaced regarding his split from his wife, Elina Svitolina, and while the Frenchman has been going through a tumultuous time in his personal life, his career got a huge endorsement from a former Grand Slam champion in doubles.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“If you knew how many debates and discussions I get into with all my friends that are athletes in other sports when I tell them that Gael Monfils is top five athletes of all time in any sport, and I will stand on that,” said Mark Knowles, a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion on the recent episode of the Inside-In podcast.
Knowles’ claim is quite a bold one. Still, given that the Bahamian international played doubles against Monfils during his playing days and later covered the Frenchman’s career in broadcasting, his opinions do carry some weight. Not to mention, Knowles is currently Jessica Pegula’s coach on the Tour and therefore has a fair idea of the abilities of the current players, as he gets to watch them closely.
As for Monfils, the Frenchman was known for his on-court showmanship, playing outrageous rallies in which he scrambled from corner to corner to get back to balls and make the opponent play one more shot. His signature jump-smashes at the net were iconic and often ended up in the highlight reels of his matches. Even this late in his career, Monfils gave a glimpse of his athletic abilities at the US Open.
Playing the mixed doubles with Svitolina, Monfils was at his charismatic best against the duo of Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. The Frenchman ran all the way around to the back of the court to return a smash, which was an improbable shot. With the ball landing in, Patten had to put a forehand back into play. At that point, Monfils ended the point with a forehand winner, turning defense to attack, a classic sequence which the Frenchman has shown over the course of his career, something which saw him reach at least one Tour-level final for 19 consecutive seasons.
Knowles also did not shy away from acknowledging that Monfils was one of his favorite players to watch, giving due credit to the Frenchman’s career. However, Knowles is not the only one who has shown his appreciation for Monfils’ game. The former World No. 6 is also popular among the next generation, as evidenced by 20-year-old Learner Tien asking him for a signed ball after their match at the Canadian Open. Even the likes of Ben Shelton and Jakub Mensik have praised the French player, calling him their favorite to watch growing up.
While Knowles was disheartened that Monfils did not get a chance to say one last goodbye to his fans in France, 2026 has been a year when tributes have flown in for Monfils at almost every event he has played.
2026 Has Been a Year of Tributes for Gael Monfils
While he did not get a final goodbye in front of the Parisian crowd, Monfils did have a year in which he was honored at various tournaments. Having officially retired, the Frenchman’s last match was against Tien at the US Open, after which the tournament director, Eric Boutorac, and the USTA chief, Craig Tiley, came onto the court to present him with a commemorative photo depicting his journey in New York over the years.
The biggest tribute Monfils received was at the French Open, where the organizers left no stone unturned for their home hero’s farewell. Ahead of the tournament, Court Phillipe Chatrier was packed with stars, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Naomi Osaka, and many others, who celebrated the Frenchman’s career in a fun exhibition, “Gael and Friends”. Not only through his charisma on court, but through his personality off the court, Monfils has not just been a fan favorite but also a favorite among his peers, which was seen in the flowing words of praise from the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev.
Having retired from the Tour, Monfils still has one last fun night in store for him as the Frenchman is all set to join the likes of Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray in an exhibition event in Switzerland in December, which will be in Wawrinka’s honor, with the Swiss ending his career this year as well.