Monfils bows out early in the Final Madrid OpenGael Monfils crashed out of the Madrid Open in what was his final appearance at the tournament.
The 37-year-old, who plans to retire at the end of next season, lost 6-3, 6-4 to Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
So far this season, Monfils has managed three wins across his farewell tour stops, with victories coming in Monte Carlo, Indian Wells and Acapulco.
The Frenchman has made one last appearance at six events this year, including a final showing at the Australian Open. His next major stop will be Roland-Garros as he continues his retirement tour.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Monfils said: “Not the best day for the Monfils family today,” referring to his wife, Elina Svitolina, who also lost her opening match at the Madrid Open.
He continued: “Tough match for me, I would’ve liked to do better for my last one in Madrid.
“15th time competing here, a huge thank you to @MutuaMadridOpen for all these years and for giving me the chance to come back.
“Now I’m going to do everything I can to arrive in the best possible shape for Roland-Garros. J-31, I can’t wait to share this unique moment with you all.
“I’ve already seen a few messages go by, thank you for being there even on the tougher days like today—it really touches me. We don’t let up on anything.”
Monfils is now preparing for what will be his final appearance at Roland Garros, a tournament where he has had some notable runs in the past.
Across his career, Monfils reached two Grand Slam semifinals, and one of those came at the French Open in 2008. He made it to the last four that year before losing to Roger Federer in four sets.
He has reached the quarterfinals three times since then but hasn’t advanced past the second round in any of his last five appearances.
In 2023, Monfils was eliminated by Jack Draper in the second round but managed to take a set off the Brit and came close to pushing the match to a deciding fifth set.
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