Gael Monfils is one of the most gifted athletes to ever step on a Tennis court. He’s a professional tennis player from France whose antics often entertain crowds.
In 2004 he turned pro and became the best junior tennis player in the world. Monfils was crowned the ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2005. And in 2011, he was ranked number 9 in the world.
Nevertheless, Monfils career has often been blighted with injury, which has put him out of action for extended periods. That’s why he achieved a career-high of 6 in the 2016 ATP rankings.
Although he has garnered lots of awards throughout his career, people know little about him. That’s why today we’ll give you a brief history of Gael Monfils, the top French professional tennis player.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts About Gael Monfils
| Celebrated Name | Gael Sebastian Monfils |
| Nick Name | Lamonf |
| Age | 35 Years |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Date of Birth | 01-09-1986 |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | French |
| Birth Place | Paris, France |
| Ethnicity | French-Caribbean |
| Father | Rubin Monfils |
| Mother | Sylvette Caresse |
| Brother | Daryl Monfils |
| Residence | Trelex, Switzerland |
| Profession | Tennis Player |
| Turned Pro | 2004 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Height | 6ft. 4inches (1.93m) |
| Coach | Thierry Champion (2004-2006), Tarik Behhabiles (2007 -2008), Patrick Chamagne (2011-2013) |
| Achievement | Grand Slam Mixed Doubles: Australia Open 2R (2006), French Open 2R (2008) |
| Endorsements | Asics, Wilson, Rokit |
| Net Worth | 10 Million USD |
Background
Born in Paris, Geal was already an exceptional tennis player at a very young age. By the age of 16 years, he already won important junior tournaments in the Under 18 age division.
But his breakthrough came in 2004 when he ended his junior career with three wins of the four Junior Grand Slam Tournaments (French Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open).
In the same year, he got named the International Tennis Federation Youth World Champion. The following year he won the ATP newcomer of the Year Award.
But all this could have turned out differently. At school, teachers always considered Gael Monfils an athletic prodigy.
Had won both the French under-13 and under-14 100m championship. His coach at the time believed Gael would have made it to the Olympic 100m. Luckily, his best game was tennis.
Becoming a professional player and joining the adult ranks didn’t scare him. He played his way up to become the best in France and number 7 in the world.
And that’s not all! Between 2005 and 2011, he earned four single titles. He also worked his way up to the Olympics quarterfinals in 2008. In the same year, he reached the French Open semis.
Personal Life
Gael Sebastian Monfils was born on September 1, 1986, in Paris. His mother is a nurse, and his father a football player.
Gael’s younger brother Daryl also plays tennis. He’s of French-Caribbean ethnicity and French nationality.
We have little to no detail about his educational background, except that he was an exceptional athlete. In relationship matters, he is in a relationship with Elina Svitolina, a WTA star. Their dating status came to the limelight in early 2019.
Hobbies
Besides playing tennis, he enjoys listening to R&B. He also likes watching football and supports PSG and Arsenal.
Gael is a huge basketball enthusiast. He’s a fan of NBA’s Denver Nuggets, and his favorite player is Carmelo Anthony.
Tennis Career
In 2006, Geal reached the Rome Masters semifinals but lost to the eventual Champion, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets. He also reached the semifinals at the Japan Open.
At the Aegon Championships, Gael lost in the second round. He also lost to the defending champion Czech Radek Stepanek at Brisbane International. At the AAMI Kooyong Classic in 2011, he lost to former world champion Lleyton Hewitt.
In the 2016 Canadian Master match, Monfils reached the semifinals after defeating 2016 Wimbledon singles finalist Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals. In the same year, he took second place in the Japan Open.
However, in 2017 he only progressed beyond the Round of 16 of the singles main draw in the three ATP World Tour Championships.
At the Qatar Open in 2018, Geal won his 7th World Tour singles title. Later that year, he reached the semifinals of the 2018 Argentina Open in the first round upsetting seventh seed Pablo Cuevas.
On-court Achievements
In terms of on-court achievements, Monfils has secured 10 ATP titles. Out of the ten titles, three came from ATP tour 500 championships. The remaining seven came from ATP 200 championships.
He won the first ATP title at the Sopot Open in Poland at a clay-court event. Since then, Gael has won the Open Sud de France (twice), Qatar Open, the Rotterdam Open, the Open de Moselle, and most recently, the ABN AMRO and Sud de France tennis championships.
Out of the 10 ATP titles, he has won nine on the hardcourt and one on a clay court.
At Grand Slam, his best runs came when he worked his way up to the semifinals at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open.
Endorsements
This player has worked with many sponsors throughout his career. Initially, Nike sponsored him, but in 2010 he switched to K-Swiss. In 2013, he switched to ASICS, specifically for clothes and shoes.
His first Racket endorser was Head, but in 2009 Prince took over. In 2012 it was Wilson and in Luxilon Big Banger in 2019. Other companies that sponsored Gael to include; eToro, Rokit, and Maui Jim. Today, he still has endorsement deals with Wilson, Rokit, and ASICS.
Gael’s form leading to the 2021 season
Gael had a good 2020 season. He won two championships in Rotterdam and Montpellier. Furthermore, he reached the semifinals at Abu Dhabi, nearly defeating Novak Djokovic.
But after the resumption of the tour, after the forced coronavirus lockdown, Gael suffered injury issues and lost form. He lost most of his early tournaments. Today, he’s no.11 in the ATP rankings.
Conclusion
If you’re a tennis enthusiast or someone who just wanted to know about Gael Monfils, we hope this piece has got you excited and offered you enough information about this famous French tennis player.