39-year-old Gael Monfils still has tennis left to play in 2026, but his work at the Australian Open is officially over after the Frenchman fell to qualifier Dane Sweeny on Kia Arena 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 7-5.
Monfils, making his 20th Australian Open appearance, and his 69th major main draw appearance, suffered his third career loss to a qualifier at the majors. He had never lost to a player ranked outside of the Top 100 until falling to the world No.182 on Day 3.
Though Sweeny stole the show, winning his first main draw match at a major with brilliant tennis, he was more than happy to share the spotlight with Monfils after the match. Tournament director Craig Tiley was on hand to honor the two-time quarterfinalist, who will go down as one of the greatest showman the game has ever seen when he officially retires.
Monfils finishes his career tied with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for most Australian Open wins by a Frenchman with 37.
Monfils told reporters that his decision to retire has been a long time coming. He said his wife, Elina Svitolina, motivated him to continue even after he had considered pulling the plug on his career during the Coronavirus pandemic.
“This decision, I had it like long time ago,” Monfils said. “First time was almost during COVID, I wanted to stop almost. Then when she was pregnant I also rupture my plantar fascia. I was about to say I was done. All the time she was telling me to push me through, out of the limits a little bit.
“[It was] worth it. Happy that I could find something different. Of course, [Elina] was a big part of that.”
