French tennis player Gael Monfils spent an “evening with friends” before the start of Roland Garros, which will be his last in his career. In tandem with Elina Svitolina, he and seven other tennis pairs played in exhibition matches.
The former sixth racket of the world announced in October 2025 that he would end his career at the end of the 2026 season. Therefore, this year's Roland Garros will be the last for Monfils.
On the eve of Roland Garros, the men's and women's nets hosted a “Gael and Friends” evening, where Monfils celebrated the upcoming end of his career. The Frenchman invited his friends to the court, including, in particular, titled tennis players: world number one Yannick Sinner, world numbers 3 and 4 Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, world number two in doubles Taylor Townsend and former world number one Naomi Osaka.
The festive evening began with a ceremonial introduction of all the players, after which they began their matches. At the tournament, tennis players competed in doubles – the tandems that won two matches advanced to the final. Each match was played in a single-set format.
First, Svitolina and Monfils defeated the duo of Sorana Kirsty and Richard Gasquet, then they defeated Yannick Sinner and Diane Parry. Finally, in the final match, the Ukrainian-French duo defeated the pair of Novak Djokovic and Maria Sakkari with a score of 10:6.
“As you know, I've never beaten Novak [Djokovic] in my life. Maybe today is the day, so help me,” Monfils said wryly before tonight's final match.
After the matches, the celebration continued with a DJ, and Monfils himself on the court told his tennis story and remembered his greatest victories. Gael was also greeted by the audience, thanking him for his game and career. During the evening, the tennis players raised 302 thousand euros, which were transferred to charity.
Svitolina herself wrote a letter to her daughter Sky about Monfils on the eve of his last Roland Garros – “Your Dad, the Magician” for The Player's Tribune. In it, the Ukrainian tells her about her father's career and explains why he is an outstanding tennis player.
“First thing you should know is that Gael Monfils was one of the greatest serve masters. Your dad could make people feel something with just one shot. Almost like at a concert where the perfect song comes on, or in a movie where they say the perfect line and you're like, 'Oh my God. WOW,'” Svitolina wrote.
“When you watch Gael play, you feel a connection to something deeper than sport. It seems to you that his tennis is not just one player trying to destroy another. It is a sequence of exciting moments that create magic. And your dad was the best magician [on the court],” the Ukrainian noted.
“Just a few months after my dad and I got married, in the early stages of my pregnancy, there was a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is not only my home country, but also where my family was at the time. It's hard to even explain how scary it was, just to understand what happened and find your grandparents to get them to safety. But I'll tell you this: it's in moments like these that you really know if someone is supporting you. And your dad wasn't just supporting me, he was my partner — as if it was his own country going through a tragedy, and as if his own parents were in danger,” Svitolina added.
Monfils, 39, has been given a wildcard into the main draw at Roland Garros. He will open his tournament against Hugo Gaston, ranked 120th in the world.
Monfils has won 11 ATP tournament titles in his career. His best Grand Slam results are two semifinals at Roland Garros in 2008 and the US Open in 2016.
Roland Garros will run from May 24 to June 7.