Svitolina, junior star, France: Everything you always wanted to know about Gael Monfils (but never had time to find out) – updated after UTS Grand Final London
A phenomenon in juniors and a former top 10 player on the ATP Tour, Gaël Monfils is one of the best players from his generation never to win a Grand Slam. Here is all you need to know about the Frenchman.
Gaël Monfils during the 2020 Rotterdam tournament
You can follow Gaël Monfils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Who is Gael Monfils?
Gael Monfils is a professional tennis player from France, who has been competing on the men’s tour since 2004.
Does Gael Monfils play UTS?
Yes, Gael Monfils plays UTS where he is known as “La Monf”. The Frenchman has competed in four UTS events. In 2020, he debuted at UTS 4, which was played on red clay at the Mouratoglou Academy. Monfils was one of three Top 20 players who took part, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Fabio Fognini.
Since then, “La Monf” has participated at UTS Los Angeles, UTS Frankfurt and the UTS Grand Final, all in 2023. In Los Angeles, Monfils made the Final Four, defeating Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik in pool play, before losing to Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals.
His showing at UTS Frankfurt 2023 wasn’t quite as successful, with the 36-year-old losing to Diego Schwartzman, Christopher Eubanks and Andrey Rublev, failing to advance beyond the group stage. He did, however, win shot of the tournament with a phenomenal forehand swat around the net post.
Monfils played in the UTS Grand Final in London, in December 2023, winning against Alexander “The Bublik Enemy” Bublik, but suffering an ankle injury against Jack “The Power” Draper which meant he had to retire from the match. He managed to make his way through his final round-robin match, but lost to Holger “The Viking” Rune.
In 2024, he played at UTS Oslo in August, UTS Frankfurt in October, and UTS Grand Final London in December. In Oslo and Frankfurt, he failed to collect any wins and subsequently did not progress past the round-robin stage.
In London, “La Monf” opened his campaign with a 3-0 (19-15, 13-9, 17-9) win over Andrey “Rublo” Rublev in a group stage meeting. A day later, he overcame Thanasi “Kokki” Kokkinakis 3-2 (11-12, 11-12, 15-12, 13-8, 3-2) and lost 3-2 (20-11, 17-9, 10-14, 9-13, 2-0) to Ugo “The Commander” Humbert but qualified for the semi-finals.
In the semis, he went down 3-1 (10-14, 14-11, 15-8, 14-6) against eventual champion De Minaur.
What did Gael Monfils do at the Stockholm Open 2023?
Monfils capped off an excellent week of tennis in Stockholm by winning the title at the Stockholm Open 2023, defeating Russian qualifier Pavel Kotov in the final.
The title was Monfils’ 12th career title, with the Frenchman first lifting a trophy on the ATP Tour in August 2005. He won the match in three sets, having dropped the opener before storming back into the contest 4-5, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Is Monfils still active on the ATP Tour?
Yes. While the 37-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent years, including in 2022 and the first half of 2023, the Frenchman had a strong second half of the season in 2023.
He recently made the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 Canada, losing to Jannik Sinner, before making the round of 16 at the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati the next week, losing to Novak Djokovic. Most recently, he won his 12th career title at the Stockholm Open.
Monfils has said that he would like to play until he is 40.
What did Gael Monfils do at the 2023 Laver Cup?
Gael Monfils made his Laver Cup debut in 2023, representing Team Europe despite a ranking of No 142 in the world.
His debut was not very successful, however, with the former world No 6 losing his singles match on day one to Team World’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-3, before again suffering a defeat on day two of the 2023 Laver Cup, this time in doubles with Hubert Hurkacz, against Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton.
During his singles match, Monfils became engaged in an argument with Auger-Aliassime, with the two not seeing eye-to-eye about the intention of the Laver Cup. Monfils appeared to be treating the event as more of a fun exhibition, while Auger-Aliassime was approaching it as a normal ATP tournament.
While the pair had some tense moments on the court, afterwards they appeared to be jovial, with Monfils posting on his personal social media, saying:
“I am tired of these incessant and futile controversies,” before Monfils explained, “When I was asked to participate in the Laver Cup, I was honoured. With my current ranking, outside the top 100 at this age, I even thought it was a joke. But I take this opportunity very seriously, for the event, for my team and especially for me.”
Does Gael Monfils have a child?
On May 15, 2022, Monfils announced on social media that he and WTA player Elina Svitolina were expecting their first child. And on October 15, Svitolina announced the birth of their first child, Skai, quickly followed by Monfils doing the same himself.
The pair have been married since July 2021.
The couple first announced they were together during the 2019 Australian Open, where the Frenchman showed up in the Ukrainian’s box for her matches. The pair were very public on social media and created a joint Instagram account, named “g.e.m.s life”, after their initials.
Where was Gael Monfils born?
Gael Monfils was born in Paris, on September 1st, 1986. A huge basketball lover, he supports the Detroit Pistons and Carmelo Anthony. He has often said he would have love to play basketball if he failed in tennis.
Where do Gael Monfils’ parents come from?
His father, Rufin Monfils, is from Guadeloupe. He is a former pro football player and worked as a France Telecom employee. His mother Sylvette Cartesse is from Martinique. She is a nurse.
Gale’s brother Daryl, seven years younger than him, also plays tennis. He played one match on the ATP tour, with Gael in the doubles’ draw at the Montpellier tournament in 2012. The brothers were comprehensively defeated by Russian pair Nikolay Davydenko/Igor Kunitsyn (6-2, 6-1).
How tall is Gael Monfils?
Monfils is 6ft 4 inches (193cm) tall, according to his profile on the ATP official website. He weighs 87 lbs (85 kgs).
Where does Gael Monfils live?
Monfils lives in Switzerland, in the city of Trélex, from the Vaud canton. The city is about 10 kilometres from the French border.
Who is Gael Monfils’ coach?
Monfils is currently being coached by Peter Lucassen and Mikael Tillstrom as per the ATP Tour website.
Prior to that, the Frenchman had been coached by Gunter Bresnik and Richard Ruckelshausen, as well as American coach Liam Smith. Born in London, Smith worked as a National Head Coach for Tennis Australia. He also worked with Radu Albot and Ricardas Berankis on the ATP Tour and also coached on the WTA tour and at Justine Henin’s academy.
In Monfils’ team, Smith came as a replacement for Sweden’s Mikaël Tillstrom, who returned to his country during the summer of 2018 to work in an academy in Stockholm and spend more time with his family. Monfils and Tillstrom had been working together since the end of 2015. Prior to that, Monfils was coached by Thierry Champion, Tarik Benhabilès, Roger Rasheed, Patrick Chamagne and Jan De Witt, the latter splitting his working time between he and Monfils good friend Gilles Simon.
What trophies did Gael Monfils win in juniors?
Monfils clinched the ITF year-end junior world No 1 ranking at the end of a stellar 2004 season, during which he won three of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon), losing just two sets in the process. He posted a 31-2 record that season.
When did Gael Monfils turn professional?
Monfils made his ATP debut in 2004. He won his first ATP match in Metz against Xavier Malisse after benefitting from a wildcard. The Frenchman made it to the quarter-finals and lost to fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet. He then beat former top 10 player Thomas Enqvist at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 and put on a fight against then-world No.3 Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. Monfils made deeper inroads in 2005 with a first ATP title in Sopot and two indoor finals in Metz and in Lyon. He’d rank inside the top 30 by the end of the season.
Which racquet does Gael Monfils play with?
Monfils plays with a Decathlon Artengo racquet. He was under contract with Head at the beginning of his career and switched to Prince from 2009 to 2012. He joined Wilson in 2013. As for his clothing sponsor, Monfils has been equipped by Artegno since 2022. Monfils began his career with Nike before leaving for K-Swiss in 2010.
What is Gael Monfils’ net worth?
Monfils’ net worth is estimated at about 10 million dollars. As of October 15, 2024, “La Monf” has earned more than $22.9 million in prize money from ATP tournaments since the beginning of his career. He is endorsed by Artengo (outfits/shoes/racquet) and Rokit.
