39-year-old tennis icon requests Wimbledon wildcard during farewell season

Gael Monfils is hoping to be awarded a Wimbledon wildcard following his first-round exit at the French Open.

After an intense 23-year tennis career, the Frenchman announced in October 2025 that the next season would be his final year on the ATP tour.

So far on his farewell tour, the 39-year-old has been granted three high-profile wildcard positions, including the Mexican Open, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo.

On Monday, Monfils exited his home Grand Slam at Roland Garros for the final time.

In typical showman fashion, he fought back from two sets down to force a deciding fifth set before ultimately falling short.

Afterwards, he received a massive standing ovation from the Paris crowd, including tributes from tennis legends like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

In the press conference following, he said: “Nicholas, my agent, wants me to play as many tournaments as possible.

“And obviously, if I’m a good student, he will ask for a wild card for Wimbledon.

“So we will wait and see for this one but I know there are a lot of candidates, and I feel a lot of guys deserve it more than me so I will wait and see.

“But hopefully, Wimbledon. We need to decide if we’ll go to Washington or not, we have been offered a wildcard.

“So we need to see if we will accept it or not… I changed my plans for vacation with Elina [his wife]. So I guess maybe she could go on vacation.”

Wildcards are awarded by a selection committee to players whose world rankings are not high enough to qualify automatically for the main draw.

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Wimbledon offer the pass usually on the basis of previous performances at the British competition or to increase national interest.

Last year, the men’s singles wildcards were awarded to Daniel Evans, Jay Clarke, Oliver Crawford, George Loffhagen, Johannus Monday, Jack Pinnington Jones and Henry Searle.

Given that every single player selected was British, the Frenchman faces stiff competition for an international slot.

However, the iconic tournament in South West London is no stranger to wildcard fairy tales.

Goran Ivanišević famously won the title as a wildcard back in 2001, leaving the door open for the former Junior No1, to chase one final dream.

Over the course of his career, Monfils has won 13 ATP titles, reached at least the last eight at three of the four majors excluding Wimbledon, and achieved a career-high ranking of sixth.

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Before the tournament in Paris, the 39-year-old reflected on his career: “I was never quite good enough to win a Grand Slam.

“But maybe I won something more important than that – a tennis career I’m proud of.”

Djokovic, who has known his rival since being 13, paid tribute to his character: “The legacy he’ll leave behind is how nice of a human being he is, how good of a guy.

“He’s always smiling, always bringing positive vibes. His slides, his defence, his slam-dunk overheads are some signature shots. 

“He’ll be missed. An incredible guy to be around.”