Gael Monfils has hinted that his retirement may not be too far away as he talks of spending time with his daughter Skaï, in the midst of his run at the National Bank Canadian Open in Toronto.
Former world No. 6 Monfils defeated Mallorca Championships winner Christopher Eubanks in his opening round at the ATP 1000 event in Canada 7-6 (3) 6-7 (4) 6-1.
However, the Frenchman has implied that he may be hanging up his racket sooner rather than later in order to spend more time with his baby daughter.
Monfils is married to former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina, and the couple welcomed their daughter in October last year. The Ukrainian player later returned from maternity leave in March this year, and for the most part, the pair have both been playing at tournaments.
However, due to a wrist injury sustained at the French Open, Monfils was absent from this year's Wimbledon and instead stayed home to look after Skaï, even missing his wife's monumental victory against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the major.
Both players competed at the DC Open last week, where Monfils reached the third round before being defeated by Tallon Griekspoor. Speaking at the tournament, the 36-year-old hinted strongly at his retirement as he said that 28-year-old Svitolina will continue to play for much longer than himself.
"I feel Elina will play much longer than me. It might be one of my last tournaments in the States. Maybe next year. We don’t know. But soon. But I may come back to support Elina with the baby. So you’ll see me around," he said.
Speaking after his win at the Canadian Open, Monfils further fuelled ideas that he could be retiring soon, as he expressed the joy he felt when spending time with his daughter during his time away from the court.
"It was too good. It’s the next chapter. It’s tomorrow, I feel," he said.
He went on to add that while many people, including his wife and team, want him to continue playing, he isn't so sure.
"My team & wife, everyone wants me to keep playing. But when I spend time with my daughter, this is it. This is it for me," he added.
For now, though, Monfils is still competing. He will face world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Canadian Open tomorrow, August 9.
Gael Monfils was asked about his time off with his daughter while Svitolina was competing: “It was too good. It’s the next chapter. It’s tomorrow, I feel. My team & wife, everyone wants me to keep playing. But when I spend time with my daughter, this is it. This is it for me” 🥹
