It's tempting to join them," says Monfils, the last active Musketeer

© AFP

Clément Gehl

le 30/05/2025 à 07h00

2 min to read

Gasquet Monfils Roland Garros Simon Tsonga

Gaël Monfils, along with Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Richard Gasquet, was part of the "Four Musketeers," a nickname given by L'Équipe in 2008.

With Gasquet's recent retirement, Monfils is now the last active player from the quartet. During a press conference after his loss to Jack Draper, a journalist asked if he now felt too alone.

He replied: "I’ve known for a while now, so to speak. As I always say, it’s different. I barely saw Richard at all this year.

I’ve had some time to get used to not seeing the guys, not going to Grand Slams, having dinner with them, or watching them train. We always trained together, shared so many little things. Naturally, it’s different.

It’s a chapter turning, and it keeps turning—it’s just that we find ourselves doing other things now. We still see each other a lot outside of tennis. It’s fun too, it’s cool.

I’ll admit, it’s even more tempting for me to join them sooner, because honestly, tennis is cool, but with Jo, we live right next to each other. When we meet up with the kids, it’s great.

We sit back, watch our kids play together. That’s real life. Honestly, we’re proud of everything we’ve achieved, no doubt, but now we’re just two old buddies living real life with our kids and wives.

We couldn’t be happier. Those moments are priceless."

When asked if this 2025 Roland-Garros could be his last, Monfils was firm: "Next year, I know I’ll play no matter what. I’ve said it. It’s obvious.

Honestly, the way I feel physically right now, I wouldn’t say this is my last Roland. It’s more about what I want to do, more about my own mindset.

It’ll depend on my desires, the sacrifices I make. But honestly, today, once again, I still put up a big fight against the world No. 5.