Can French Star Gael Monfils Shine on Home Clay?

A 37-year-old Gael Monfils is ranked #37 in the world—-a feat that not many can emulate at that age. The likes of Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Fabio Fognini, and Richard Gasquet are outside the Top 50.

“Sometimes, I won’t lie, I was doubting a little bit,” he said to the Guardian. “I’m getting a little bit old. I hurt myself. You need to do all this [work]. It’s not easy to come back here.”

Monfils has won twelve ATP titles but hasn’t yet won a major one and this year seems far from it.

For him, the clay courts of Roland-Garros pose a challenge. In a recent episode of the UTS podcast “All on the Table” he said, “When I was younger, I loved clay. It was my favorite surface. But now, it’s the surface I hate the most. It’s more physical for me… I’m faking to run fast.”

In 2022, he took his eleventh title in Adelaide without dropping a set, defeating sixth-seeded Tommy Paul, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, and second-seeded Karen Khachanov. However, after his run at the Madrid Open, he underwent heel surgery. He missed the 2022 French Open as well as the entire grass season. When he returned to Montreal, ready to power through, he sustained a foot injury in a match against Jack Draper, ending his season prematurely.

In 2023, he made his Laver Cup debut and at the Stockholm Open, he won his twelfth title as the lowest-ranked player to do so, becoming the oldest champion in the history of the tournament. He jumped up 50 spots in the rankings.

In 2024, his form has been arduous. At the Qatar Open, he entered as a wild card, reaching his first semifinal, defeating Botic van de Zandschulp, Zhizhen Zhang, and Ugo Humbert. The Frenchman, however, lost to Jakub Mensik 6-4 1-6 6-3.

His performance at Indian Wells propelled him into the Top 50. He defeated Max Purcell, eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, and twenty-eighth-seeded Cameron Norrie, advancing to round four of the tournament.

He bagged another career milestone at the Miami Open, marking his 550th win, becoming the second Frenchman in the Open Era to do so, behind Richard Gasquet.

In Portugal, at the 2024 Estoril Open, he climbed into the Top 40 after a showing in the round of 16.

As he returns to Roland-Garros in 2024, he faces Brazilian challenger Thiago Seyboth Wild for the second time–a young talent and his country’s #1 player. The Frenchman had won in their last encounter 7-5 6-4. Although both have been inconsistent this season with Monfils winning 12 of 24 matches and Seyboth Wild winning 12 of 26, Monfils has the chance to be the dark horse in this tournament with the help of his cheering home crowd.

As Gael Monfils returns to the tournament where he reached the semifinals in 2008, he also returns to his home ground of Paris. A steep climb awaits a battle to regain his form and make a deep run into the tournament. His season, perhaps plagued with inconsistencies, has also had moments of brilliance and the support of his home crowd might just give him that extra boost he desperately needs.