Gaël Monfils’ final appearance at a Grand Slam ended in defeat on Thursday, August 3, as the Frenchman lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to American 14th seed Learner Tien in the second round of the US Open.
The 40-year-old, who has announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season, struggled with the physical demands of the match as Tien kept him moving through long rallies on a humid night at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Monfils still produced moments that reminded the crowd why he has remained one of the sport’s most entertaining players throughout his career. But the 20-year-old American controlled the match with a patient approach to reach the third round of the US Open for the first time.
“I came here for the first time in 2003 for the juniors, and here I am in 2026. It’s been a long ride. Thank you so much,” Monfils said after the match. “I’ve felt your love all these years, and I can tell you, you’re my second-favorite crowd after Paris. You’re up there.”
As a final message to the U.S. crowd, he said, “It’s been an absolute honor to perform in front of you all these years. I tried my best not only to play high-performance tennis but also to put on a great show. You guys gave me so much love, and I will never forget it. Thank you for everything.”
The end of a Grand Slam journey
The defeat brought an end to Monfils’ Grand Slam career, 22 years after he made his US Open debut as an 18-year-old in 2005.
His final season has been a reminder of his longevity. In the first round in New York, Monfils defeated Adolfo Daniel Vallejo on the day he turned 40, becoming the oldest man to win a US Open match since Jimmy Connors in 1992.
Once ranked as high as world No. 6, Monfils won 587 singles matches during a career that saw him compete against some of the greatest players of the modern era, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
For much of his career, Monfils was part of a generation of French players known as the “Four Musketeers”, alongside Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon. With the retirement of his three compatriots, Monfils was the last of the group still competing on the professional tour.
He reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam twice, at the French Open in 2008 and the US Open in 2016, but a major title ultimately remained out of reach.
As his final Grand Slam appearance came to an end, tournament organizers honored him with an on-court ceremony and a video celebrating his career.
Monfils still has the remainder of the 2026 season ahead of him. But his defeat to Tien closed an important chapter: the end of a long Grand Slam journey and the farewell of one of his generation’s most distinctive and entertaining players.
