Is this the end? Gael Monfils' emotional gesture fuels retirement rumors after Canadian Open exit

Gael Monfils suffered a tough defeat in the first round of the Canadian Open against Tomas Barrios Vera and made a gesture upon leaving the court that fuels speculation about his approaching retirement. The former world No. 6 seems closer to retirement than ever, and apparently made his last appearance at the Canadian Open.

Undoubtedly one of the names that has marked the recent era on Tour, both for the spectacularity he brings to his matches and for his personality. Monfils always brings a show to the courts and can boast a distinguished career despite coinciding with the peak dominance of the Big-3.

The former world No. 6 started the first set at a disadvantage but managed to level things in the second. Unfortunately for Monfils, he deflated in the final part of the match, and in the third set, he squandered up to four match points before allowing the comeback from the Chilean qualifier. Barrios won 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) to advance to the second round and eliminate Monfils after two hours and 48 minutes.

The Frenchman had a tough battle against Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera – who came from the qualifying rounds – but the lack of match rhythm in recent months ultimately took its toll. The world No. 48 committed too many errors against an opponent who had little to lose in only his second appearance in a Masters 1000 main draw. Monfils committed a total of 15 double faults throughout the match and had a total of 38 unforced errors, in addition to a poor 51% first serve in, compared to 63% from his opponent.

In the first set, Monfils started with an early break after 5 break points in just the Chilean's first service game, and after a few minutes, he took a 3-0 lead. However, Barrios managed to come back in the set and ended up taking six of the next seven games to take a 6-4 lead.

In the second set, things were up for grabs, both with break opportunities, but neither converted them. Barrios broke to go up 4-3, but Monfils reacted to level at 4-4. The Frenchman capitalized on the momentum, taking two consecutive breaks and secured the set in his favor by 6-4.

Everything was decided in a third set where both were especially effective with their first serve, Monfils with 90% against 80% from the South American. With no break opportunities for a good part of the set, Barrios had 15-40 twice – both at 4-5 and 5-6, but the Frenchman failed to convert any of his 4 match points. After the Chilean sent everything to the tie-break showing resilience, he ended up taking advantage of Monfils' fatigue and closed out one of the best victories of his career by 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3).

Monfils has only one win in his last 6 matches, and at his age, he seems closer to retirement than ever, a topic he has hinted at in recent months. The exit in Canada brought back doubts – as he experiences an irregular moment and after making a gesture that many interpreted as a farewell to the Canadian Open, kissing the baseline before leaving the court.

The 38-year-old tennis player achieved his career-high ranking of world No. 6 back in 2016 – reaching the final at Monte-Carlo Masters, semifinals at the US Open and Canadian Open, in addition to making his only appearance at the ATP Finals. Since 2005, Monfils has finished 12 times in the top 30 and 7 of those within the top 15.

Monfils reached 35 finals in his career – with 13 titles and 22 runner-up finishes. The Frenchman reached at least one final for 19 consecutive seasons until 2023, being one of only five players to achieve that mark: Roger Federer with 20 consecutive seasons reaching at least one final, while he is tied with Jimmy Connors and Rafael Nadal with 19 consecutive seasons reaching a final.

Only 5 players aged at least 38 years old remain in the top 200, although Fabio Fognini (38 years old, No. 200) and Richard Gasquet (39 years old, No. 182) have already made their final appearances on Tour this year after announcing their respective retirements. After them, only Novak Djokovic (38 years old, No. 6), Monfils (38 years old, No. 48) and Stan Wawrinka (40 years old, No. 152) remain.