Gael Monfils has paid an emotional tribute to Australia and the Australian Open on social media after his final-ever match Down Under.<\/p>\n
Former world No 6 Monfils announced last year that he would be retiring from tennis in 2026<\/a>, with the Frenchman set to make his last appearances at all four Grand Slam tournaments across the season.<\/p>\n Currently ranked 110th in the world, the 39-year-old was unable to claim one last match win at the Australian Open<\/a>, with Monfils<\/a> beaten 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 by Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny on Tuesday.<\/p>\n A popular figure wherever he plays, the tournament paid tribute with a small ceremony dedicated to Monfils after the match inside the Kia Arena.<\/p>\n It was the Frenchman\u2019s 20th and final main draw appearance at the \u2018Happy Slam\u2019, with Monfils reaching the quarter-final of the event in 2016 and 2022.<\/p>\n Monfils had first travelled to the Australian Open to compete in the boys\u2019 singles event in 2003, and lifted the junior title at the tournament as a 17-year-old in 2004.<\/p>\n After his match against Sweeny, the 13-time ATP Tour titlest posted a warm message on his Instagram account, thanking the tournament and the country for supporting him for well over two decades.<\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cAustralia\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I came here was in 2003. A kid, a phone, and above all\u2026 a completely blown roaming plan. I went way beyond limits that didn\u2019t even exist. Result: a ridiculous phone bill\u2026 and a father angrier than I had ever seen him.<\/p>\n The meaning behind Naomi Osaka\u2019s Australian Open outfit that stunned fans and pundits<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Mindblowing\u2019 Novak Djokovic\u2019s biggest Australian Open \u2018problem\u2019 revealed by John McEnroe<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLooking back, it really makes me laugh. At the time\u2026 not so much. But that\u2019s also how the first memories are made.<\/p>\n \u201cSince then, I\u2019ve discovered an incredible country and legendary stadiums. I\u2019ve been extremely lucky to play here for so many years at the Australian Open. Unreal atmospheres, special moments, emotions that I will carry with me forever.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, once again, I gave everything I had. It wasn\u2019t enough this time, but congrats to Dane Sweeney for his first win here. Well played.<\/p>\n \u201cSince this was my last time here, this is what I will remember: \u201cThank you to the fans for the kindness and support. Thank you to @tennisaustralia for the warmth and care throughout all these years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe season is only just beginning. A few days of rest, some treatments, checking on the little aches\u2026 and then it\u2019s back to work. The desire is still there. And the future can still be bright.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you all for the support. We keep going. Always.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his campaign being over, Monfils will not be leaving Australia just yet<\/p>\n The 39-year-old\u2019s wife, Elina Svitolina<\/a>, is in action in the women\u2019s singles draw and will continue her campaign when she returns to action on Wednesday.<\/p>\n After lifting her 19th career title at the Auckland Open earlier this month, Svitolina started her Australian Open campaign with a confident win over Cristina Bucsa on Sunday, and will next face Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova.<\/p>\n Monfils\u2019 next tournament is yet to be confirmed, but he will likely play a curtailed schedule and prioritise the biggest events during what is his final season.<\/p>\n The Frenchman has not yet confirmed his official retirement tournament, but undoubtedly his main priority for 2026 will be a final appearance at Roland Garros, his home Grand Slam event.<\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites<\/a> list for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n Read Next<\/strong>: Who is Mark Kovacs? Biomechanics expert who has worked with Novak Djokovic & Frances Tiafoe<\/a><\/p>\n The post Gael Monfils posts social media message after emotional Australian Open farewell<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gael Monfils has paid an emotional tribute to Australia and the Australian Open on social media after his final-ever match Down Under. Former world No 6 Monfils announced last year that he would be retiring from tennis in 2026, with the Frenchman set to make his last appearances at all four Grand Slam tournaments across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1638\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Tennis News<\/h2>\n
\n\u2013 an exceptional atmosphere
\n\u2013 so much love
\n\u2013 and immense gratitude<\/p>\n