A ceremony in place of a farewell match
Gaël Monfils will not play another match, but Paris still gave him his night. After Ben Shelton finished off Cameron Norrie on Tuesday evening, the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre held a ceremony for the Frenchman on Central court.
He had retired sooner than planned, following the end of his marriage to Elina Svitolina, and the tournament had said it would mark his career regardless. Marc Maury introduced him, and FFT president Gilles Moretton and tournament director Cédric Pioline walked out alongside him to a full house.
Monfils took a first lap of the court with his hand on his heart before a video of his best moments in France played on the big screens.
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“I am at peace”
In his speech he spoke of 22 years as a professional and thanked the crowd, his parents and his young daughter Skaï. “I am at peace with what I was able to do,” he told the arena.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Benoît Paire, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and the singer Matt Pokora joined him on court for a group photo, and other players paid tribute afterwards. The ceremony ended with a last walk around the court to a standing ovation.
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