Osaka, Svitolina honor Monfils as his farewell season hits native Paris

Gaël Monfils has long been known to be one of tennis' great showmen, so it's only natural that much of the buzz around Roland Garros in recent days has centered on his final run at his home Slam.

On Thursday, he hosted "Gaël and Friends," a star-studded farewell event on Court Philippe-Chatrier featuring his wife Elina Svitolina and other WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz stars Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, Taylor Townsend, Diane Parry, Maria Sakkari, Sorana Cirstea and Donna Vekic, in addition to current and former ATP greats.

Speaking to media Saturday, Osaka took time to recognize Monfils and his impact on the sport both on and off the court.

"For me, seeing representation is so important," Osaka said. "On the women's side, growing up, I had Serena and Venus, so I was grateful to them. On the men's side, I always looked up to (Monfils) and (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga. I think it's so important. There is a wave of Black French guys coming up, and I can see that he's inspired a lot of players here."

A trailblazer in many respects, from his importance to young Black players in a sport where representation gaps persist to a playing style defined as much by athleticism as by his beloved theatrics, Monfils also built a decorated résumé.

He reached No. 6 in the world, contested 35 ATP finals and won 13 titles, most recently in Auckland last year at 38 years old. He is also a 10-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist and two-time semifinalist.

"Of course, now that I'm finishing, I think I will see a bit more," Monfils said to press on his influence in the sport. "I think when you're in it, it's tough to look a little bit around how much influence that you have. When I hear that, I'm very grateful, if I inspired some players."

Monfils plans to retire after the 2026 season. Returning to his home Slam for the final time -- the site of his first Major semifinal at 21 -- may be his most emotional challenge yet. It's an experience Svitolina hopes her husband can savor.

"I feel like he's excited and also nervous. There are lots of feelings he's feeling," Svitolina said to press. "I just want him to play well here, and I want him to enjoy this last Roland Garros journey. And yeah, just be there for him."

Monfils is one of several ATP veterans set to close out their careers this season, joining Stan Wawrinka, David Goffin and Kei Nishikori. Speaking of Wawrinka, Svitolina and Monfils were recently in Geneva for his final appearance at his home tournament.

"Gaël is very close with him, so of course I was happy to join him for Stan's match," Svitolina said smiling. "It was great to see him win one more time in Geneva, in his home country. He's such a big inspiration, still competing at 41. It's been great to see him and his amazing career, as well -- in that generation with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray -- winning Slams and being a big competitor for them.

"It's great to still have him for this last year and enjoy his backhands down the line." 

Osaka, meanwhile, is grateful to have Monfils on tour for a little while longer.

"I just really love the way he carries himself, the way he represents us, and he's such a cool guy," Osaka said. "It's nice to talk to him now, because we talk about our kids. I don't know, it's just a funny thing to have in common with him."