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<\/a>We love this man!<\/p><\/div>\n
So let\u2019s begin with the retirement of Monfils, which is already such a loss to the sports world. It\u2019s making me ill just seeing the words \u201cretired\u201d and \u201cformer\u201d in front of \u201cprofessional tennis player\u201d to explain his career. I\u2019m honestly crying just writing this!<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve had the joy of watching this guy for over two decades now! (He was named the ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2005!) I always tried to watch his matches that were televised. They were the absolute most entertaining ones ever<\/em>! The one where he told the umpire that he wasn\u2019t trying hard at the beginning because he\u2019s \u201csneaky\u201d is my all-time favorite! (And he won! Definitely look that one up!)<\/p>\n Victoria Azarenka’s letter to Monfils. (You have to blow it up to read it.)<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m far from the only fan who\u2019s sad to not see him compete again. Everyone<\/em> in the tennis world is penning or taping tributes to La Monf. (Yes, I do<\/em> think his nickname should use the masculine \u201cle\u201d instead of \u201cla,\u201d but that\u2019s how it\u2019s written. And, contrary to popular opinion\u2014mainly my own\u2014I\u2019m not in charge of everything<\/em> in the world!) I cried my eyes out when I read the beautiful open letter that fellow player Victoria Azarenka wrote to him on social media. It captured Gael perfectly.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the link to what several of his former competitors are saying to him, many in French, (which is not their native language!): x.com\/UniversTennis\/status\/2117710512737960155?a=i3a2_1MeeQC-0yQ2qEk&s=20<\/a>.<\/p>\n And you should look for Gael\u2019s farewell speech, as well. He delivered it on Wednesday to the crowd on Central Court at the Paris Masters, (which he had been due to compete in before the divorce happened,) in Paris, and there was not a dry eye in the house. (It was in French, of course, but here are links to two American stories about it: www.atptour.com\/en\/news\/monfils-paris-2026-farewell-ceremony<\/a> and sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/gael-monfils-issues-statement-retirement-190000808.html<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Gael Monfils’s social media missive the day after his retirement ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019ve written about my affection for, and admiration of, Gael Monfils for many years now. He\u2019s been my second favorite player forever, it seems, (right behind Roger Federer,) and I, along with the rest of the world, truly adore him.<\/p>\n I first had that epiphany during the 2016 US Open, so it\u2019s been a decade. Back then I wrote, \u201cFrenchman Gael Monfils is the only fun guy there.\u00a0He and his buddies were out playing games in the pouring rain, while everyone else was hiding inside.\u00a0The joy on his face was a sight for sore eyes.\u00a0(And it was his thirtieth birthday, to boot.\u00a0What a way to celebrate!)\u00a0It gave me the revelation that he\u2019s my second favorite player, (to Roger, of course.)\u201d<\/p>\n Every<\/em> tennis fan agrees that Gael is the most entertaining athlete; we\u2019ve all been lucky to watch him. I\u2019ve always been sad that he\u2019s never won a Major, after winning three out of the four top them as a Junior. But he\u2019s won other titles along the way. And he\u2019s one of only five players in the Open era to reach at least one ATP Tour singles final in every year for nineteen consecutive seasons! (From 2005 to 2023.)<\/p>\n Gael Monfils in his last match at this year’s US Open. Look at how high he gets off the ground! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Monfils recently said that he has been studying finance, and was offered a job in that field, which he seemed poised to accept, but being such a cherished public figure, I can only hope that he becomes a tennis commentator instead, so that we can still enjoy his wit and charm for decades to come.<\/p>\n No matter what he does next in life, I wish him the best of everything! There will never be another like him.<\/p>\n Bravo, La Monf!<\/p>\n THE DEVASTATING DIVORCE OF TENNIS STARS GAEL MONFILS AND ELINA SVITOLINA<\/strong><\/p>\n This was Elina and Gael in late August! So how did things change so quickly???<\/p><\/div>\n The impending divorce of tennis stars Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina is the saddest break-up for me since that of\u2026Sonny and Cher when I was a little girl! Back then, I felt like I was losing my parents. And all hope for love. But this one is sooo much more heartbreaking. I literally gasped out loud and yelled, \u201cNooooo!,\u201d when I read the news. The only way I could be sadder, or more shocked, would be if Mr. X and I broke-up!<\/p>\n Just a couple of months ago, after the US Open, I wrote about \u201cdarling married couple Elina Svitolina and Gaels Monfils.\u201d I loved seeing them play Mixed Doubles there, which I believe was a first. They looked so proud of each other. So this divorce is extra hard to understand.<\/p>\n I think the reason I\u2019ve rooted for Ukrainian Elina for the past seven years is actually due to her relationship with Frenchman Gael. But I believe that I\u2019m done with her now because of the way she\u2019s gone about the break-up.<\/p>\n Elina’s very sad divorce statement.<\/p><\/div>\n Her timing is more than unfortunate\u2014it\u2019s disgusting. She knew that her husband, now forty-years-old, was finally retiring, and he wanted to do it in his native France, where he\u2019s adored even more than around the rest of the world. But he was so upset about this development that he had to drop-out of what were due to be his two final tournaments, in Lyon and Paris. He said that the split \u201cseverely impacted his mental well-being, drained his appetite, and made it difficult to train or find the motivation to compete.\u201d So there was not the big ending for his career that he soooooo richly deserved! That is disappointing not only for himself<\/em>, but for his gazillion fans, especially the ones in France who were set to witness his last match, and most likely looked forward to it all year! Why couldn\u2019t his wife have just waited for these few short weeks to leave him?! I\u2019ll never understand.<\/p>\n Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in a happier time.<\/p><\/div>\n And she appeared to be so madly in love with him! Elina says that the emotional impact of the war in her country, Ukraine, is what led to her divorce decision. Most of us cannot understand that, but it\u2019s not for us to do that, anyway. It\u2019s really just between the two of them, no matter how much it shatters the hearts of those who loved them, especially him\u2014family, friends, and fans alike.<\/p>\n Gael’s post in support of Elina.<\/p><\/div>\n However, Gael doesn\u2019t want us to take sides. He\u2019s even written an amazing post defending her. But I can\u2019t help but be very angry with her\u2014why could she have not waited just a couple of weeks, so he could retire properly??? That was so unfair, unloving, and just plain creepy of her.<\/p>\n My heart is breaking for Monfils, and their four-year-old daughter, Skai, and even a tiny bit for Elina. I believe Gael will find happiness again, (because who doesn\u2019t love him?,) but I cannot imagine that Elina will ever find anyone else as perfect as Gael. So there\u2019s that.<\/p>\n MY PREVIOUS WORDS ABOUT THE COUPLE, MAINLY GAEL, OVER THE YEARS<\/strong><\/p>\n Now here are some excerpts of my writings about the Monfils\u2019, in order:<\/p>\n 2015 Wimbledon: \u201cI\u2019m so glad the week ended on the high note of watching the most entertaining player of them all, Gael Monfils, play against one of his best friends, Gilles Simon, (who wound-up winning.) I\u2019ve never seen such a friendly match, from start to finish, and it was really uplifting to witness.\u201d<\/p>\n The happy couple announcing their baby news in 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n 2022 US Open Preview: \u201cAlso preggers is another one of my faves, 2021 Olympics bronze medalist, Ukraine\u2019s Elina Svitolina. She and her charming husband, the always-entertaining Gael Monfils, (who, unfortunately, has to sit this one out, as well, due to injury,) are having their baby in less than two months! Besides that I love them both individually, they\u2019re also one of my favorite couples ever; they have a love that everyone should aspire to. (And can you just imagine what that baby\u2019s tennis genes will be like??? I can\u2019t wait for her to grow-up and play already!)\u201d<\/p>\n 2023 US Open Preview: \u201cI love that married couple Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina play with their wedding rings on. And she even wears her big engagement ring!!!\u201d<\/p>\n 2023 US Open Wrap-up: \u201cmy favorite female player, Elina Svitolina, is not only from Ukraine, but helps her country all the time, with both money and moral aid. And, she just had a baby in October!!! And she\u2019s already back playing professionally, and doing quite well, to boot. And she\u2019s married to adorable and hilarious player, Gael Monfils, so I always love to watch those two as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The Monfils fam in 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n 2024 US Open Preview: \u201cI always root for Elina Svitolina, not just because she\u2019s married to charming Gael Monfils, and I love that family unit, but mainly because of her wonderful and touching devotion to her home country of Ukraine. She uses most of her time and tennis earnings to help her people, which is beyond admirable.\u201d<\/p>\n 2024 US Open Wrap-up: \u201cThe always-entertaining Gael Monfils made me laugh out loud when he took a bow after winning a particularly dramatic point in the second round against Casper Ruud.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026 Wimbledon Preview: \u201cOn the Ladies\u2019 side, I have been rooting mainly for Elina Svitolina for several years because A) she\u2019s a really good person, B) she\u2019s Ukrainian, and I would like that country to have every little bit of happiness, and C) I adore her hilarious husband, Gael Monfils.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026 US Open Wrap-up: \u201cThe most bittersweet part of all of it was seeing the incredible Gael Monfils play his final Major match! I could not stop crying. Gael is the best. He\u2019s the most entertaining tennis player ever and a lovely, adorable person. I hope that he does not take the finance job he\u2019s been offered, and goes into sportscasting instead. We need him! What a true gift to the world he is, making everyone so happy. Even his opponents adore him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>