"Announcing It to My Father Was the Hardest Part": Gaël Monfils Opens Up About His Future Retirement

In an emotional interview, Monfils discusses fatigue, his family, but also the difficulty of announcing his retirement to the one who has always supported him: his father.

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 14/12/2025 à 17h46

1 min to read

Monfils Gael

2026 will be Gaël Monfils' last season on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman will thus end a career spanning 22 years, marked by 13 titles (3 ATP 500, 10 ATP 250), a world No. 6 ranking, and Grand Slam semifinals at Roland-Garros and the US Open.

But Monfils, beyond his results, has left his mark with his showman side and his ability to win points never before seen on the tour. Invited on the radio RTL this Sunday, 'La Monf' opened up about his decision to hang up his rackets.

"You Have to Know When to Say Stop"

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I'm ready to say goodbye to this sport that has given me everything. You also have to know when to say stop. I love tennis, but now, it's more about age, recovery.

I have a family now, other responsibilities. Performances are also much harder to string together. These are natural things for an athlete. At some point, there is an end."

"It Was Hard to Announce It to My Father"

An announcement that was not easy to reveal to his father: "For 40 years, my father has been driven by his son who wanted to play tennis very early. Announcing my retirement to my father, that was really the hardest part. I told him it wasn't easy to tell him, but he still understood."