Gael Monfils was supposed to say goodbye to tennis in Paris, in front of his home crowd. But his career was cut short without a goodbye match, and perhaps he will find a stage he never expected to need in Geneva.

Stan Wawrinka’s farewell event, One Last Backhand, is set for December 19 at Palexpo in Geneva. The poster for the evening, shared this week, still lists Monfils alongside Roger Federer and Andy Murray. 

Wawrinka announced the event in June, when he described it as one last evening to thank the fans. “I wanted to create something truly special so that we could enjoy one final evening together.” At that point, Monfils was in the middle of his own farewell season. 

The Frenchman had planned to finish at the Paris Masters, which runs from November 2 to 8, after a wild card in Lyon and possibly Vienna. Instead, the International Tennis Integrity Agency lists him as retired as of October 5. His last professional match was a second-round loss to Learner Tien at the US Open on September 3. 

He had already enjoyed a send-off of sorts at Roland Garros in May, where he organized a party with prominent guests before his final appearance there. Lyon organizers said he would not use his wild card for personal reasons. He even pulled out from an exhibition event there. 

Things became clearer on Monday and Tuesday. Monfils and Elina Svitolina announced in a joint Instagram post that their marriage is ending. In a second statement on Tuesday, Svitolina said Monfils’ career ended abruptly after he decided to stop based on their situation. 

She added that he faced accusations he did not deserve, which is why they released the statement together. The Geneva event gives one more opportunity to leave it on the court for the 40-year-old who has served the sport for more than two decades and entertained millions.

What Wawrinka’s farewell night will look like

The Geneva programme is more than one match. It begins in the afternoon, with an autograph session at 4 p.m., a padel exhibition at 5 p.m., and a live concert at 6 p.m. The pre-show begins at 7:30 p.m., and the tennis starts at 8 p.m. 

Wawrinka will play one singles match with Monfils. He will then team up with Federer to face Monfils and Murray in doubles. That gives Monfils two matches on one night, against a friend and a former rival. Federer, who retired in 2022, and Murray, who retired after the Paris Olympics in 2024, will both be back on court for it. 

The night marks the end of a 24-year career for Wawrinka. The 41-year-old, who has won three Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in doubles alongside Federer, and has helped Switzerland win the Davis Cup in 2014, Geneva will be the last chapter. 

It is not clear whether Monfils’ plans have changed since his retirement and the announcement of the split, and no statement from the organizers on his status has been reported. Even so, the poster that circulated this week still shows him on the bill. 

If Monfils does take part, it would be his first appearance on court since the US Open. The 40-year-old, with 13 ATP singles titles and semifinal appearances at Roland Garros in 2008 and the US Open in 2016, can have a farewell of his own alongside Wawrinka in Geneva, which Paris could not give.