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Gaël Monfils left the center court of IGA Stadium on Wednesday evening, defeated by American Learner Tien in three sets (6-3, 0-6, 6-3). The score matters little. At 39, the Frenchman was playing his last match in Montreal, a tournament where he had made his debut on the North American circuit in 2009, a 22-year-old kid with fiery legs and an already infectious smile. Seventeen summers later, the crowd knew exactly what to do: a standing ovation, a guard of honor, and that immense smile of a player who never cheated with his emotions. A suspended moment, one of those that professional tennis offers all too rarely.
Two days later, from his Instagram account, the Parisian published a long message. First to say thank you. "Thank you Montreal, you surprised me, I didn't expect to receive so much love," he wrote, mentioning an "evening that will remain etched" in his memory. Then the tone changed, and the usual lightness of the man gave way to something rawer.
Two days later, from his Instagram account, the Parisian published a long message.
"I hear you. We all hear you."
For months, Monfils has been carrying a label that has become heavy: that of the veteran who clings on, ranked beyond 300th in the world, unable to compete with the new generation. In the second part of his message, the 2024 Roland-Garros finalist decided to respond, without anger but without beating around the bush.
"I am no longer at my best level. That's a fact. But you can stop repeating it to me at every tournament." Direct words that express the weariness of a man about to turn 40 in the face of the constant noise of social media and certain commentators. "The message is received," he added, as if to close a chapter that others would like to write in his place.
This public clarification, rare for a player known for his lightness and humor, reveals the intimate difficulty of a farewell tour launched at the start of the season. In mid-June, on the sidelines of a gala in Cluj for Simona Halep's retirement, Monfils already confided to Eurosport that this "last dance" was "harder to manage" than he imagined. The Montreal sequence confirms this observation: between the tears held back on the court and the words laid out on Instagram, here is a man measuring, perhaps for the first time, the real weight of his own end.
A last dance that weighs heavier than expected
The observation is blunt. On the court, the body no longer responds as before. The explosive accelerations that were his trademark give way to a more measured reading of the rallies. Against Tien, 20, Monfils alternated flashes of brilliance — a second set won 6-0 in 28 minutes, where we suddenly saw the Monfils of big nights again — and long lapses, unable to string together two high-level matches in the same tournament. That dazzling 6-0, almost unreal at his age, reminded us that talent never completely evaporates; it's the ability to summon it on command that fades.
Yet, the Montreal reception reminded us why he continues. The Canadian crowd did not come to see a ranking but to salute a career, a style, a presence that goes beyond the strict framework of results. Monfils understood, that evening, that his value in people's eyes is not measured in ATP points. And it is perhaps this realization that makes what follows both lighter and more painful.
The road continues. The Frenchman still has several invitations to honor this summer on the American hard courts, with probably a last US Open at the end of August. Each outing will be both a first and a last. But one thing is now clear: the criticism of his level, he no longer wants to hear it. He already knows it. And he has nothing left to prove to anyone, except perhaps to himself.