Gael Monfils, the last French 'Musketeer,' announces that he will retire at the end of 2026 season

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PARIS (AP) — Perennial crowd favorite and former world No. 6-ranked Gael Monfils announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the 2026 tennis season.

At 39, the French veteran renowned for his spectacular style of play, fighting spirit and remarkable athleticism said in a message posted on social media that he is “tremendously at peace” with his decision after two decades competing during what he called “a golden age of tennis.”

“I held a racket in my hands for the first time at two and a half, and began playing professionally at 18,” Monfils wrote. “The opportunity to turn my passion into a profession is a privilege I have cherished during every match and moment of my 21-year career."

Monfils has won 13 titles. His best results at Grand Slam tournaments are two semifinals, at the 2008 French Open and 2016 U.S. Open.

“While I came close, I never did win a Grand Slam during my career. I won’t pretend that I expect to do so during the next year,” Monfils said, adding that he has no regrets.

“What I do have is the feeling that I have been lucky: insanely, stupidly lucky," he said. "I’ve had the chance to play during a golden age of tennis, alongside some of the greatest names in the history of our sport: (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal, (Novak) Djokovic, (Andy) Murray.”

Following in the footsteps of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet, he is the last member of a group of talented French players dubbed “The Musketeers” to call it quits.

In January, Monfils became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title, achieving the feat in Auckland, New Zealand to claim his 13th tour title 20 years after his first, at the age of 38 years, 132 days. He took over from Federer, who was 38 years, 74 days old when he won the final tour title of his career, the Swiss Indoor title at Basel in 2019.

Monfils married Ukrainian player Elena Svitolina in 2021 and the couple have a daughter together. Monfils is currently ranked 53rd.

“To every person who ever cheered or shouted ‘Allez, Gael!’ in real life or at a TV screen: your energy and love are truly everything to me,” Monfils said.

Stefanos Tsitsipas paid tribute to Monfils by posting footage of a remarkable shot from one of their matches — a kind of overhead winner struck from the baseline. “Gael Monfils’ hot shots were so spectacular, it was an honor to be on the receiving end of them,” he said.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis