Gaël Monfils said goodbye to the Paris crowd at the Rolex Paris Masters on November 3, bringing a 22-year career to a close with a speech that combined gratitude, reflection and a dedication to his daughter, Skaï. A large “Merci Gaël” banner greeted him as he entered the court, followed by a video tribute to his career.
“It's not easy to say goodbye to the most beautiful thing this earth could have given me,” Monfils told the crowd. “If I was able to achieve my dream, it was thanks to all of you.” He said that revisiting images of his career in recent weeks had helped him take stock of what he had accomplished. “I did everything I could. I’m happy, at peace with everything I’ve done,” he said.
Monfils also thanked his parents, Sylvette and Rufin, and recalled first playing at the tournament in 2004. He praised French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton and tournament director Cédric Pioline for supporting him during a personally difficult period, saying he had feared that saying goodbye to the crowd face to face would be insurmountable.
The former world No. 6 dedicated his final turn on court in Paris to Skaï, who is four. He recalled that she wanted to become a “champion of everything,” first in talking and then in tennis, and told her he hoped she would pursue whatever she wished and perhaps one day play in Paris.
Monfils was joined after the ceremony by friends including Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Benoît Paire, as well as singer M. Pokora and Paterne Mamata. He then completed a final lap of honour before leaving the court.
Sources: Le Figaro.