On October 1st last year, Gaël Sébastien Monfils, announced that he would bring his career to a close in 2026… Stanislas “Stan” Wawrinka waited until December 19th to make the same announcement.
In 2019 Marcos Baghdatis, the 2003 Junior Boys’ champion, and Tomáš Berdych made their final Melbourne appearances… but when it comes to saying “Adieu…” at the AO, Gaël and Stan are matchless.
Both played the Australian Open 20 times.
Monfils began in 2005 and was a quarterfinalist in 2016 and ’22.
Wawrinka made his first appearance in 2006. His Melbourne résumé includes quarterfinal showings in 2011 and ’20, semifinal stops in 2015 and ’17, and mastering Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the 2014 Men’s Singles final.
Their similarities are bountiful…
I first watched Wawrinka when he won the 2003 Boys’ Junior title in Paris and remember being fascinated that Switzerland had two outstanding prospects… an obvious assessment following the impact Roger Federer made winning The Championships Boys’ singles and doubles in 1998 and three years later defeating Pete Sampras there in the fourth round of the Men’s.
Having been an instructor at the Tony Trabert Tennis Camp and for years hit with him on an almost daily basis, I revered his backhand… which he could hit through an opponent, and use to patiently extend rallies. But the most impressive aspect of the “Trabert Backhand” was the way he could finesse a shot crosscourt just over the net at the feet of an opponent looking to hit a second volley leaving the individual (often me) digging a return off his shoe tops. I also had the opportunity, when he was older, to experience the crisp “heaviness…” of Don Budge’s storied backhand.
With that backhand background, Wawrinka’s was still imposing. Sweeping his racquet back in an arc with his right arm well away from the side of his body, feet close together, he makes a mammoth shoulder turn enabling him to create “take the racquet out of an opponent’s hand…” power.
My introduction to Monfils at Roland-Garros in 2004 was numbing… and this was after I had been a US National Boys’ Junior Davis Cup Team coach and had witnessed the maturing talent of Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Pete Sampras. But Monfils was “Different…”
Even knowing he was the AO Junior Boys’ winner did not prepare me for what I saw… I had never experienced such elastic athletic flexibility or inventive shot making. His creativity made him “Must watch …”. This is the reason I attended all “La Monf’s” (in time he was also nicknamed “Sliderman”) matches and even went to several of his practices on the backcourts at Stade Roland-Garros. Over 20 years ago he became one of my entertaining favorites.
His Usain Bolt-like speed added to the Monfils “Can do it all…” credentials… and it wasn’t surprising to learn that at 13 and 14 he won the French 100m sprint championships. Had tennis not intruded, it was reputed that he had the potential to be an Olympic 100m contestant.
Monfils was born September 1, 1986 in Paris. His father Rufin, who came from Guadeloupe, had a career as a football player then worked for France Telecom. Sylvette Cartesse, his mother, came from Martinique and was a nurse. His younger brother Daryl played on the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s team from 2014 to ’16. His younger sister Maelie was a sophomore on the Florida State University team that won the 2024 NCAA Women’s Championship. After two years in Tallahassee, she transferred to Penn State University.
Monfils followed the 2004 AO Junior Boys’ Singles title with Junior trophies at Roland-Garros and The Championships. Viktor Troicki ended his quest to complete The Grand Slam at the US Open by winning 6-2, 6-2 in the third round. But Monfils finished the season as No. 1 in the International Tennis Federation’s Boys’ Rankings.
(In 1983, Stefan Edberg won the Boys’ Junior Grand Slam and Mark Kratzmann a year later. Nicolás Pereira in 1988 preceded Monfils winning three of the four titles.)
Monfils has 13 ATP tour trophies in his collection… Auckland in 2025 was his last.
Wawrinka, after claiming the 2003 Roland-Garros Junior Boys’ trophy, collected the 2014 AO, 2015 Roland-Garros, and 2016 US Open Men’s Singles championships…
Besides his Grand Slams, Wawrinka also has 13 tour titles… Geneva in 2017 being his most recent.
He and Federer defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, to win the 2008 Olympic Doubles Gold Medal in Beijing. They teamed again in 2014 to defeat France 3-1 in the Davis Cup final played at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.
Adding to the Gaël And Stan summary…
Monfils made an appearance in the 2011 music video “Hello”, staged at Roland-Garros, that Martin Solveig produced and featuring Dragonette, a Canadian electronic band.
On his 28th birthday, March 28, in 2013, Wawrinka got a tattoo on his left forearm. In italic script it says, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better”, a phrase by Irish writer Samuel Beckett.
Wawrinka married Ilham Vuilloud, a former model and television host, in 2009. Their daughter Alexia was born on February 12, 2010. They separated in 2011… reunited but eventually divorced in April 2015. Later, he became the partner of WTA player Donna Vekic until 2019.
On April 3, 2021, Monfils announced his engagement to Elina Svitolina. They married in Geneva on July 16th that year, spectacularly dressed in combinations of lavender, purple and white. Their daughter Skaï , whom Svitolina described as their “little gem” was born on October 15, 2022.
After this year’s AO, Monfils’ career singles record was 583-352 and Wawrinka’s tally was 587-382.
With all the years they have been on tour, I was surprised to learn that they had only played seven times… Monfils was ahead 4-3.
Results:
2007 Vienna – Hard Court – Wawrinka 7-6, 6-4
2009 Paris Rolex Masters – Hard Court – Monfils 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
2010 Tokyo – Hard Court – Monfils 6-2, 6-4
2011 Australian Open – Hard Court – Wawrinka 7-6, 6-2, 6-3
2017 Roland-Garros – Terra Battue – Wawrinka 7-5, 7-6, 6-2
2019 Rotterdam – Hard Court – Monfils 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
2024 The Championships – Grass – Monfils 7-6, 6-4, 7-6
Both have spent lengthy periods sidelined by injuries.
Monfils has been plagued with Osgood-Schlatter, pain in his knees, with his left knee being the most discomforting.
His “Timeouts…” include:
2012 – Right knee patellar tendon-Missed Roland-Garros, The Championships, Olympics and US Open.
2017 – Left Achilles tendon tear and left patella chondropathy (cartilage damage). He began having problems in March after rehab, tried to play the US Open in September and retired against David Goffin, then resumed rehab.
2022 – Right heel spur and foot lesion surgery, “as small procedure…” as he called it-Missed Canadian Masters, US Open and the rest of the competitive season.
2023 – Partial triangular fibrocartilage complex tear in left wrist after winning a five set first round match at Roland-Garros and was forced to withdraw; missed the grass court season and returned to competition at the Atlanta Open, two months later.
2025 – Back problem causing him to retire from Australian Open, then a partial right quadricep tear forcing him to miss Marseille, Doha and the Argentina Open.
For a period, Wawrinka spent more time in surgery than he did competing.
In February 2007, he had an operation on his right knee. Following The Championships in 2017 and ’18, significant procedures were performed on his left knee and left foot… and neither was a “One and Done”.
In early 2021, his left foot began troubling him. He had surgery in March and another in June and didn’t play for more than a year.
In 2023, he injured his ankle at Metz in November. As his coach Magnus Norman – with whom he worked 2013-17, 2018-’20 and 2022 to the present – said in early ’24 “…he’s now playing catchup a little bit”.
In the first round of the ’26 AO, Dane Sweeney, the 5’7” qualifier from Sydney, made his second AO singles appearance. Buoyed by the crowd, he slipped past Monfils in an almost four hour contest, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5.
Upon its conclusion, Tournament Director Craig Tiley asked Monfils for his final AO match thoughts, and the Frenchman told the Kia Arena crowd, “…First of all, thank you so much. For me, my journey here with you guys started in 2003, when I came here for the first time. Now we are in 2026 and somehow it is the finish line but thank you so much for this amazing ride. You have been unbelievable…”
He continued, “I’ve got a lot of great memories here. A couple of big battles. Quarters, fourth round, even today was almost four hours. For Dane, you guys did an amazing job (supporting him). I read his story. This kid got hurt, so I really wish (him) good luck for the next one, because he is playing very good…
“I am very grateful. I’ve been very lucky to play here for many years, so lastly thank you very much, ‘merci beaucoup, a bientot les amis’ (thank you very much, see you soon, friends).”
Wawrinka was “Majestic…” defeating Laslo Djere 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 in the first round, then winning a spellbinding four hour and 33 minute encounter with Arthur Géa, who is almost 20 years his junior, before being dismissed in the third round by Taylor Fritz, the No. 9 seed, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In the January 22nd ATP story Stan Wawrinka survives a five-set thriller to advance to the Australian Open third round, Jerome Coombe noted, “… The 40-year-old Swiss battled past determined French qualifier Arthur Gea, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6… to become the oldest man to reach the third round at Melbourne Park since Ken Rosewall achieved the feat at age 44 in 1978″.
Wawrinka responding to a question about how he felt said, “…“Exhausted… As I told you, it’s my last Australian Open, so I’m trying to last as long as possible. “I’m not young anymore, so I need your (crowd) energy. It’s an amazing feeling to be on this court and have so much amazing support.”
On court after his John Cain Arena match with Wawrinka, Fritz graciously said, “I can’t blame anyone in the crowd for cheering for Stan here. It’s amazing what he’s out here doing. I have so much respect for the passion and the drive it takes to be doing what he’s doing”.
In his press conference, Wawrinka admitted, “… I’m not doing the year to just say goodbye in tournaments. It’s my last year so, of course, when I’m going to lose in a tournament, it’s going to be a goodbye… but my mindset is still a competitor, and I always want to push myself.
“I’m trying to find the balance between competitor, trying to win, but at the same time enjoying those moments with the fans, with the atmosphere. And here it was more than I could expect with the support. Every match was something really special, and I really appreciate that.”
At the end of her insightful Finite Jest columns Andrea Petkovic always has “Things that make me happy” and “Things that make me unhappy” sections. In her wrap of the AO she said, “It didn’t exactly make me unhappy, but it did make me laugh and I admit feel a tinge of disappointment, too. After his last match at Melbourne Park, Stan Wawrinka insisted on having a beer on court with Tournament Director Craig Tiley. I was all for it, cheering the TV on like I was at the horse races, all the way up until a close-up of the beer revealed that they in fact had opened GINGER BEER. WHO DRINKS GINGER BEER ON RETIREMENT. Stan, you have a few more months to go, and a few more tournaments will want to celebrate you. I need you to STEP UP YOUR GAME.”
I would have offered, “Sacré bleu…”.
With their first Grand Slam “Au Revoir” complete, I look forward to “Ce qui nous attend” (What awaits us) from Gaël and Stan in the remaining majors of 2026…
Title photo by Tennis Australia