The final dance! The renowned French player concludes two decades of Australian Open battles

As Monfils was defeated 1-3 in the opening round of this year's Australian Open men's singles by home qualifier Sweeny, he concluded his 20th participation in the Australian Open main draw, which also stands as his final campaign at this Grand Slam. He is expected to retire following the 2026 season.

Born on September 1, 1986, in Paris, France, Monfils showed exceptional tennis talent from a young age. In 2004, he won three junior Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon consecutively, becoming the junior world No. 1 at that time.

Monfils then began his professional career, capturing his first ATP Tour title in 2005 at Sopot, Poland. Throughout the 2005 season, he performed solidly with a 25-22 win-loss record, climbing from a world ranking of 239 at the start of the year to 30 by year-end, earning him the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.

In 2006, Monfils reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Rome by defeating players like Haas and Roddick. Then in 2008, he advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open, overcoming opponents such as Melzer, Ljubičić, and Ferrer. At this point, expectations grew for the physically gifted French player.

The year 2009 was another breakthrough for Monfils, as he recorded his first victory over a world No. 1 by defeating Nadal in Doha, and he broke into the top ten in the world rankings for the first time that season.

However, Monfils always fell just short at major tournaments. From his Grand Slam debut in 2004 through 2025, his best results were semifinals at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open. His top Masters 1000 result was runner-up at the 2016 Monte Carlo event.

Among the 13 singles titles Monfils has won, the highest-tier trophies are the ATP 500 events in Washington (2016), Rotterdam (2019), and Rotterdam again (2020), with the rest being ATP 250 level tournaments.

Of course, Monfils has also finished as runner-up many times, currently holding 22 singles runner-up finishes, including at prestigious tournaments like the Paris Masters and Monte Carlo Masters.

In recent seasons, as age has caught up, Monfils' competitiveness on the tour has declined. In the recently concluded 2025 season, he posted an 18-15 win-loss record, with Grand Slam results of fourth round, second round, second round, and first round respectively. Additionally, he announced last October that the 2026 season will be his final professional season, planning to retire after this year's Paris Masters.

We look forward to the veteran Frenchman achieving good results in the remaining tournaments this season! What has impressed you most about Monfils?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)