Gael Monfils bids emotional farewell as Federer, Alcaraz, Nadal and Djokovic lead tributes to retired star

Gael Monfils paid a touching tribute to his daughter Skai at the Paris Masters in his first public appearance since splitting from wife Elina Svitolina.

The tennis world was left stunned last month when Ukrainian Svitolina announced that after more than five years of marriage, her time with husband Monfils was coming to an end.

The world No 6 initially said the emotional scars of the Russia-Ukraine war were partly behind their separation, before later saying she was not entirely happy with the Frenchman.

Monfils hit out at the  “venomous” abuse that had come the 32-year-old’s way, before admitting that he was struggling with the end of their relationship.

The 40-year-old quietly retired from tennis in early October, after taking himself off the anti-doping protocols, despite being scheduled to have his farewell at the Paris Masters. However, on Tuesday, he spoke in front of fans to bid an emotional goodbye.

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The former world No 6 dedicated a big chunk of his speech to his four-year-old daughter Skai, whom he hopes can become a tennis “champion” one day. Monfils added that it is eight years to the day since he began a relationship with Svitolina, in a classy oration from the French legend.

In his speech, which has been translated by Tiempo De Tenis, “My little girl Skaï wanted me to talk about her because she told me: ‘You don’t talk about me enough, Daddy.’ And she’s only four years old! So Skaï, if you’re watching this, here I am talking about you. Maybe you’ll see it someday down the line.

“She asked me why people were coming up to say hi to me, and I told her it was because Daddy is very kind and she had to be kind too. She replied that she was going to be very kind as well. Then she told me she wanted to be a champion.

“I asked her what she wanted to be a champion in, and she said: ‘Everything.’ I told her she’d have to choose, and the first thing she blurted out was: ‘I want to be a champion of talking.’ Then she thought about it and told me she’d like to be a tennis champion, so she’s definitely got the right stuff for it.

“She wanted to dedicate this last match to her daddy. It was in Paris, on November 3, 2026. As an anecdote, today marks exactly 8 years since I was with your mom, so it’s a very symbolic date for the family.

“Skaï, your daddy was a tennis player, he loved tennis, he grew up in Paris and had an amazing crowd. I hope with all my heart that you become a champion in whatever you choose, and hopefully one day you can play here in Paris.”

Incidentally, after Ben Shelton beat Cameron Norrie in his opening match, he described Monfils as the “greatest entertainer in the history of tennis”.

And in a tribute video, the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and more paid their respects to the Frenchman.

A few of Gael’s friends wanted to share a few words 💙

#RolexParisMasters https://t.co/ZfgjUnx8Cg

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) November 3, 2026

Djokovic said, “What an incredible career! One of the kindest and funniest guys. There’s no one who doesn’t like you, Gaël,” and Federer added, “We all wanted to be a little like Gaël Monfils. You have tons of fans.”

Alcaraz commented, “For me, you were a true inspiration and an exceptional athlete. The most important thing is that you’re a great person off the court,” while Nadal declared, “Congratulations on this formidable career. I remember the first time I saw you when we were just kids, and we made it! We had very long careers full of success.”

Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and more also had kind words for Monfils, who is now preparing for a life in finance. While he is leaving tennis, he will not be forgotten.

READ NEXT: Rafael Nadal reveals why he doesn’t chat to Novak Djokovic but speaks to Roger Federer ‘very often’

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