PARIS/WASHINGTON, May 26, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
By the time that Hugo Gaston put the finishing touches on the 19th and final French Open appearance by Gael Monfils on Court Philippe-Chatrier Monday night, there weren’t many dry eyes among the 15,000 fans who filled up the largest of the big-stage courts at Stade Roland-Garros in the City of Light.
Everyone who attended the first-round match had hoped the 218th-ranked Monfils had it in him to be able to prolong the inevitable and win a round at this year’s clay-court major. He had done so in 16 of his previous 18 French Open appearances. By the end, Monfils had done his best. Although he lost 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0, in three hours and 22 minutes to the 118th-ranked Gaston, the former World No. 6 from Paris entertained us – he will go down as one of the great entertainers of the sport – and showed why, at age 39, he still has a flair for the dramatic.
Pure entertainment 🍿 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/adC06qLT7Q
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
Monfils put on a show for all to appreciate – it was his Open Era-record 17th Roland-Garros five-set match – that will be talked about for the rest of the 2026 Parisian fortnight.
Down two-sets-to-none, Monfils managed to win eight straight games en route to garnering both the third and fourth sets. For a while, it looked like could pull off a magical five-set comeback on Court Philippe-Chatrier for the second-straight year like he did against Hugo Dellien in 2025. The fans had his back from first ball to last ball – even though he was unable to deliver one last victory on home soil.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Gaston, who reached the fourth round in his Roland-Garros debut in 2020, has now won at least one match in four of his seven career main draw appearances at his home major. He will face No. 25 seed Francisco Cerundolo in the second round later this week.
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“It was quite a strange feeling when, at the end of the third set, everyone was shouting, ‘Gael, Gael,’ I wanted to shout with them,” Gaston said, during his post-match news conference.
“It is a difficult position, because I used to watch him play on TV. He’s quite the showman. I love the man he is. He’s a genuinely nice guy. I was expecting for the crowd to be with him, but there was a lot of respect and the atmosphere was good, so that’s cool.”
Gael, it’s been more than a pleasure 🧡#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/2e2hxk2Wa0
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
Monfils, a 2008 French Open semifinalist, spent his entire 22-year pro career filling the stands at Roland-Garros – especially at night – and Monday was his sixth straight night match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Among those on-hand to watch were French greats from the past, including Sebastien Grosjean, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win Roland-Garros in 1983 – three years before Monfils was born.
Afterward, Monfils, who has won 13 ATP Tour titles since turning pro in 2004, was feted on court with a late-night ceremony that ran past midnight. It included presentation of a glass case containing a section of a clay court – symbolic of French tennis – from Roland-Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo and Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, as well as a colorful highlight video of Monfils through the years.
La Monf 🧡#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kju86HMKJj
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2026
Also, a collection of pre-taped video tributes for Monfils, given by many of his contemporaries, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as well as French teammates Ugo Humbert, Arthur Fils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon, was shown.
Everyone wants to bid Gael farewell 💫#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/x23Yf2mOpM
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
“Monf, that’s a wrap,” Simon said, translated from French. “It’s the end of the adventure, the end of the road. It’s been an incredible journey for you, for all of us and for everyone who enjoyed watching you play and all the spectators you made so happy.”
Soon after, there was an on-court reunion of the Four French Mousquetaires: Monfils, Tsonga, Simon and Gasquet. It was playful and full of hugs and smiles.
Gael & friends 🧡#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gLnjQxdttU
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
Later, during his news conference in the early hours of Tuesday, Monfils tried to sum up his evening: “It’s a mixture of feelings between happiness and sadness. It’s a lot of feelings, a lot of emotions. It’s really hard to describe,” he said.
Wishing you all the best for what comes next! We’ll miss you, Gael 🧡#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/HDl60jM1C0
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
Tennis goodbyes are never easy but Monfils made the most of his at Roland-Garros and gave a heartfelt on-court speech, in which he gave thanks to the French fans, to his team and, most of all, to his wife, Elina Svitolina, who sat court side in his box alongside his longtime coach, Mikael Tillstrom.
“I’d like to thank my wife. Without her, I might not be here tonight,” Monfils said to Svitolina. “We’ve been together for eight beautiful years. You have supported me, raised me up, and loved me. You gave me the greatest gift … our daughter. I love you.”
Gael 🧡 Elina #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/LPXqAUphoF
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
Looking back, Monfils summed up things best during his pre-tournament news conference. He said: “My bucket list is full. The only thing that I had, I think is 99.9 percent. It was just to lift this trophy, but the rest is, I made everything. Roland-Garros gave me anything that I ever dreamed, wished, worked for.”
Nothing but love ❤️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/pmWSQybX5l
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2026
