Ninety minutes into Gaël Monfils’ dernière danse in the city of his birth, it seemed like nothing could stop the inevitable. Monfils looked every millisecond of his 39 years of age as he was thoroughly outplayed for two sets. A forgettable ending to his love story with Roland Garros.
Over the past 21 years, though, forgettable would be the very last way to describe his presence at this event. He has been the architect of so many delirious days and nights in Paris, a magnet for drama, spectacle and unfettered joy. It came as no surprise to see Monfils, an iconic showman, fight with everything he had, dragging himself back into a messy, turbulent contest before he was overcome physically by his own significant efforts.
As midnight approached, Monfils finally succumbed 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 to his fellow wildcard Hugo Gaston in the first round of the French Open, a defeat that marked the end of his time at his home grand slam tournament.
There may have been two Frenchmen competing on the court, but the crowd only had eyes for one compatriot. They cheered for Monfils and only Monfils, animating at the slightest hint of hope. For two sets, there was little to salute.
However, even as Gaston edged towards a two-set lead, there were hints that something was amiss as he took two medical timeouts in quick succession. With his opponent visibly struggling and his audience urging him on, Monfils took this great opportunity and found a way back into the match. Having expended immense effort to level the contest, however, Monfils began to struggle with a foot injury. He had nothing more to give in the final set, hobbling through it as his chance of victory slipped away.
Monfils was watched on by his wife, Elina Svitolina, who after winning her own epic first-round match in the afternoon, was overcome by emotion upon seeing her husband’s final appearance in Paris. Other familiar faces were dotted around the grounds, including his family, friends and former colleagues.
An emotional farewell ceremony followed, led by the tournament director, Amélie Mauresmo, and Gilles Moretton, the president of the French Tennis Federation, as Monfils addressed all of his loved ones and those who contributed. He was joined on court by Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, the three men whose careers will forever be intertwined with his own. “Every year I come to play at Roland Garros, and I get goose bumps,” said Monfils. “It’s magical here. It’s incredible, unique, exceptional. I’m really going to miss you.”
He leaves a significant legacy in his city. Along with a career high ranking of No 6, 13 titles and semi-finals at Roland Garros and the US Open, Monfils’ career longevity has been one of the pillars of his career achievements. Last year, he became the oldest man to win an ATP title, triumphing at the Auckland 250 event. Time comes for everyone, though, and this performance was simply reflective of his time arriving.
Monday was a day for farewells. Seven hours earlier, it was Stan Wawrinka’s time to go as he finished his Roland Garros career with a tough 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands, a lucky loser.
This will be the final match and moment of Wawrinka’s career on the Parisian clay, for the three-time grand slam champion, a winner here in 2015, will also retire at the end of the season after a distinguished 25-year career. His defeat was similarly memorialised with an emotional ceremony. “It’s tough, it’s tough,” said Wawrinka, tears welling in his eyes. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you here.”
In many ways, this was a fitting moment. Monfils and Wawrinka first faced each other 19 years ago and across nearly two decades of being around each other, they formed a close friendship. Even as he contemplated the final months of his own career, Wawrinka had plenty of words to spare for his old friend.
“Friendship, you don’t need to explain friendship, do you?” said Wawrinka. “It’s something natural, that comes naturally. His personality, my personality, we get on well together. With years passing by, we got to know one another. When we were not on the courts, we were talking about something else. We would see one another quite frequently.
“Friendship is not something to be described. Gaël is someone exceptional and I think he’s like me. He’s honest. We don’t need to play a role. We get on well, very well together. We were very happy for each other when he was winning, and even when we were playing together, there was never any rivalry. And of course each of us wanted to have the best career we could have, but both of us were very happy when the other one was winning.”
