Gaël Monfils gives farewell speech at Paris Masters

Gaël Monfils gave a farewell speech at the Paris Masters in Paris, his first public appearance since retiring from tennis in early October.

The 40-year-old Frenchman had been scheduled to say goodbye at the tournament, despite having already retired.

He spoke about his daughter Skai, who is four, and said he hoped she would become a champion in whatever she chose.

Monfils also noted that the day marked eight years since he began his relationship with Skai’s mother, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina; the couple have since separated.

Tennis stars including Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Alcaraz paid tribute to Monfils in a video, while Ben Shelton called him tennis’s greatest entertainer.

The Paris appearance marked his public farewell to the sport, and the sources give no further plans for what comes next.