“My dream, you know, is to be old and with a lot of kids and healthy,” he said back in January, a voice from Down Under that revealed just how cherished Gaël Monfils truly is. At 38, the Frenchman, renowned for his electrifying flair, crowd-pulling charisma, and a career carved despite the shadow of the Big-3, has always been more than just a player; he’s been a showman. Yet now, as the relentless US Open grind looms and its Toronto warm-up fades with bitter echoes, the ATP veteran makes a heartbreaking career move born from disappointment and the unforgiving demands of time.
The former World No. 6 stepped onto the National Bank Open court in Toronto with the weight of years and expectations pressing on his shoulders. He stumbled early, dropping the 1st set, yet true to his nature, Gaël Monfils fought back, clawing his way to claim the second and ignite the crowd’s hope. But in the deciding act, as the tension peaked, he faltered. Four match points slipped through his grasp, and Chilean qualifier Tomás Barrios seized the chance, turning the tide to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) after a draining two hours and forty-eight minutes.
Then came the blow that pierced deeper than the loss itself. Max Gao, a journalist covering the tournament, revealed on X: “Gaël Monfils just confirmed that today was his last time playing in Toronto — it looks like he will retire in the next couple of years — so this bittersweet moment while he was walking off the court was his way of saying goodbye to this crowd. Merci, @Gael_Monfils.” The words felt like the quiet toll of an ending bell.
The signs were there. After a first-round exit at the Citi Open and now this heartbreaker, Monfils lingered on Centre Court, tracing his hand along the surface, a gesture heavy with finality, before offering one last wave to a city that had cheered him for years.
(More to come…)
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