Gael Monfils suffered an early exit in his last ever appearance at the Madrid Open.
The Frenchman, set to retire at the end of the 2026 season, was beaten by Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the opening round of the ATP Masters 1000 event, 6-3, 6-4.
Monfils has won just three matches so far in his swansong campaign on the tour, picking up victories in Monte-Carlo, Indian Wells and Acapulco.
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Since the beginning of the year, the 39-year-old has appeared for one final time at six events, including the Australian Open.
Now, Monfils has said farewell to another set of fans in Madrid ahead of his last dance at Roland Garros.
Gael Monfils bid farewell to the Madrid Open after early loss
In a post on X, formerly known as 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.
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“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.”
Gael Monfils’ record at Roland Garros over the years
Monfils is now set to compete in his last ever Roland Garros tournament, where he has come close to emerging victorious before.
Throughout his career, Monfils has only ever made two Grand Slam semifinals, one of which came in Paris.
He advanced to the final four at his home major back in 2008, but ultimately fell to Roger Federer in four sets.
Since then, Monfils has made the quarterfinals three times at the French Open, but has only gone as far as the second round in his last five attempts.
Last year, Monfils was beaten by Jack Draper in the second round, but gave the Briton a run for his money by taking a set in the match and almost forcing him to a decisive fifth.
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