Paris Masters honours retired French tennis player Gael Monfils

The Paris Rolex Masters tennis tournament, part of the ATP Tour (the men's professional tennis circuit), honoured French player Gael Monfils on its centre court after he ended his professional career. The ceremony took place on 3 November and was attended by his former opponents and compatriots Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Benoit Paire.

During the ceremony Monfils admitted that saying goodbye was very hard. He said the most wonderful thing the tennis world had given him was the spectators. He described his 22 years as a professional as an extraordinary story he could never have dreamed of, and thanked both those in the arena and those watching from home, saying it was thanks to them that he was able to live his dream.

Career achievements

Monfils is known for his explosive style of play and exceptional athleticism. He reached his career-high ranking of number six on the ATP list in 2016. On the ATP Tour the Frenchman won 13 titles and reached a further 22 finals, including two in Paris.

Monfils also holds the record for the most wins at this level of tournament among French players, with 146. Over his career he collected 588 victories in ATP Tour matches.

His last tournament on the ATP Tour was the 2026 US Open, one of the four most important events in tennis, where he reached the second round. The Paris ceremony thus served as an official farewell in front of fans in his home country.