GAEL MONFILS ANNOUNCES PARIS MASTERS FAREWELL

Gael Monfils said his separation from Elina Svitolina led him to end his tennis career earlier than planned because he could not prepare for a final tournament. ITIA listings give 5 October as his retirement date, before tournaments he had planned to play in Lyon and Paris. Monfils explained his decision during a Twitch broadcast on 26 October. “The separation from Elina hurt me deeply,” he said. He said he could not train as he wanted or face the emotions of a final match while dealing with the split.

Monfils had announced in late 2025 that 2026 would be his final year on tour. He played his last match against Learner Tien at the US Open. Monfils and Svitolina married in 2021, welcomed a daughter in 2022 and had been together for eight years. They announced their separation in a joint statement shared on both Instagram accounts after his retirement became public. Svitolina later said she wanted to address speculation and accusations directed at Monfils over his retirement.

Monfils said the Paris Masters would hold a tribute to his career on 3 November at the Plenitude Arena. He said the ceremony would follow the first match of the night session. “Of course I wasn’t going to leave like that,” he told viewers. Monfils said the event would let him thank supporters of French tennis and say goodbye to the French crowd in person. He also criticised verbal abuse directed at Svitolina, saying he found the lack of kindness towards her upsetting.