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Frenchman Gael Monfils has been one of the most athletic, mercurial and mesmerising tennis players on the men’s top tier professional circuit for two decades.

He has battled with the best over generations and has been cited as a danger by some of the best to ever play the game.

Gael Monfils made tennis entertaining and fans loved him. He was always box-office and many feel he could have done a lot better with the gifts he possesses.

Yesterday he was defeated by fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston, in a 5-set thriller 6-2, 6-3,3-6,2-6,6-0 in the first round of this year’s French Open. 

Those who form French tennis elite came out to see him and will him on as this would be his final appearance at the French Open.

Now 39, he was not expected to go deep into the tournament but there was always the likelihood that he could win a few matches and show a few of the youngsters how it is done.

It was not to be. Monfils has played only nine matches across six tournaments, with a 3-6 win-loss record.

He looked unfit and tired out there, and Hugo Gaston killed him with the drop shot. Sure, there were flashes of brilliance, but he was unable to maintain consistency.

After coming back from two sets down, there was a glimmer of hope, but Father Time caught up with all of us, and Monfils wasn’t in top condition to pull this out. 

He went out on his shield. “Victory belongs to the most tenacious” is emblazoned on  Court Philippe Chatrier, the words of famous French aviator and World War I hero,Roland Garros, who the entire French Open stadium is named.

On the night, it was Hugo Gaston who was the most tenacious.

With a little more preparation, Monfils could have been victorious, being the better player but it was not to be.

He received a fitting send-off, and there was plenty of love for him in the stadium.

Monfils has now played his last match at Roland-Garros, but plans to continue playing through the remainder of the year and wants to play at the US Open, where he will turn 40.

“Why do I want to go to the States? Because I want to play until I am 40. That’s my wish. Unfortunately, I was born in September, 1986. My wish is to be an athlete who plays until 40 years old. Like Stan(Wawrinka), like LeBron (James), like Cristiano (Ronaldo), like Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), like all the athletes who have managed to continue their sport until the age of 40. That’s what I want to do.”

Ten years ago, Monfils was ranked as high as No.6 in the ATP men’s singles rankings ( in the era of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic). He has won 13 ATP Tour singles titles. He can look back on a good career and he brought a new dynamic to the game. He was always compelling, and his game was exciting. He was a fantastic shot maker. 

Below is  Gael Monfils’farewell speech at Roland Garros: 

I’ll try to be quick and concise. And I’ll start quite simply with you. Mum and Dad. Once again, thank you. It’s thanks to these two people, Sylvette and Ruffin. They created the little guy you saw on the screens with the little glasses. I never stopped pestering my parents. I wanted to play football. I wanted to play tennis. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to do sports.

But at one point, I really wanted to play tennis. My father believed in it right away. My mother, she still told me to keep up with my studies. Me: “But Mum, I have to go, I have to go to CREPS.” And I managed to get into CREPS at thirteen years old. So that’s where the adventure began for me.

Once again, thank you to my parents, because it’s thanks to them too..

 There’s a gentleman who helped my dad and who’s here today; his name is Richard Vermot. When I was eleven, he believed in me very early on. Thank you so much, because you were already talking to me about Roland-Garros and all of that.

I’d like to thank the federation. They took me in very early, at the age of thirteen. Thanks to you, I was able to express myself, I was able to learn how to play tennis, learn to understand tennis, and travel. And there you go, once again, I’d never have made it without you, without your hand, without your help. So a huge thank you to the French Tennis Federation.

I’d like to thank all my coaches. I won’t name them all, but there are many. There are many who meant an enormous amount to me, many who became friends, who got to know me, who helped me with my personality — which isn’t necessarily easy, but very easy once you know me.

Thank you to them for letting me make the bad choices, then letting me make the good ones, for letting me express myself the way I felt on the court, try new things every day. They’ll all recognise themselves. Thank you to all my coaches throughout my career.

I’d like to thank my family, my little brother, Darryl. We didn’t see each other much. I left very early. That’s maybe the thing that hurts me the most. Had you thought it’s my parents? But really, it’s my little brother. I didn’t see him grow up. It was the most beautiful thing in my life. That’s changed now because now it’s Skaï, my daughter. But you’re the second most beautiful thing in my life. A huge thank you to my little brother, who supported me throughout my career. He was there for me all the time. Darryl is a chef who knows how to take care of you.

I’d also like to give a nod to my two half-sisters, who, to me, are real sisters. They were always there when we were younger, always ready to listen. So Rosie and Maely, thank you for everything.

You normally speak French, Elina. So now I’m going to thank Elina, my wife, because without her I might not even still be here tonight. We’ve been together for eight years, eight beautiful years. You’ve been by my side. I’m not talking about Elina Svitolina the player. I’m talking about the woman, the real woman, my wife, who is there at every moment, in all of them. She has always known how to support me as a man, not as a tennis player. Elina has always been there in my moments of doubt. She has always known how to lift me up, encourage me, love me, and above all, she gave me the most beautiful gift in the world with our daughter. I love you.

I have a lot of friends. They’re loud. Thank you so much. You’ve supported me for 22 years. We’ve been a group of mates. We really all met very early. They’re friends I went to nursery school with. In secondary school, they followed me even when I was at Pôle France. They’re here, so they’re real friends. I really want to thank you all. Thank you forever.

To the former players who are here, thank you for coming to support me. I think you’ve all been through this and it really makes me happy to see you in the stands. I saw earlier my little Gilou (Gilles Simon), Ritchie (Gasquet), and I think Jo (-Wilfried Tsonga) must be up there. These guys, I owe them so much. They’re truly my brothers in arms, my brothers, plain and simple. And I really want to say thank you to them for the love they’ve given me. For the help. We were never in competition. Gilles, Richard and Jo, they’ve always been there off the court. That’s something tennis gave me and it’s very precious to me. Thank you so much, guys.

To finish, I’d like to thank you all. Every year, I come to play at Roland-Garros. I get chills every time I come here. It’s magical; it’s something incredible. I’ve built something strong, unique, exceptional, and I truly love you. I’m really, really going to miss you. And I’d like to say a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart, forever.

Thank you to all the people behind the scenes who made this tournament magnificent. Every year, the ball kids, the line judges, the transport staff, the canteen staff, truly all these wonderful people have done an incredible job. The security guards. Truly, this tournament is fabulous and magical. I’ll definitely be back to say it again.

Roland-Garros, I love you, I owe you everything, and I’ll say to you: until we meet again. Thank you for everything you’ve given me.