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Monfils gives emotional farewell in Paris with wish for daughter Skai
Gaël Monfils received an emotional farewell at the Paris Masters, where he told the home crowd that their support had helped make his 22-year tennis career a dream. The ceremony gave the 40-year-old a public send-off after he had retired quietly the previous month, and he used the moment to share a wish for his young daughter, Skai.
Former French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Benoît Paire joined him on court. Monfils hoped Skai would become a champion in whatever she chooses and one day play in Paris. He won 13 ATP Tour singles titles, reached the French Open semi-finals in 2008 and the US Open semi-finals in 2016, and played his final Grand Slam at this year’s US Open.
In short
- Monfils received a Paris farewell after 22 years as a professional.
- He hopes daughter Skai will one day play in Paris.
- He won 13 ATP singles titles and reached two Grand Slam semi-finals.
Explained simply
Gaël Monfils is a French tennis player who spent 22 years on the professional tour. He won 13 singles titles and reached the semi-finals of both the French Open and US Open, two of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments.
The Paris Masters is a major indoor tournament played in Monfils’s home country. His career also belonged to a generation of French players that included Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet, who competed alongside him on tour.
Monfils is also a father to Skai. His hope that she might one day play in Paris reflects the place tennis and the city hold in his life, while leaving her free to choose her own path.