Veteran French tennis player Gael Monfils is retiring from professional tennis and will begin a new career in finance. The announcement came after his second-round loss to Learner Tien at the US Open on Thursday.
Monfils, 40, revealed he has signed with a Swiss company to work in wealth management. "My next chapter is looking more in an office and working in finance," Monfils stated. "I will always have a look on tennis because I love the sport; my wife’s playing. I don’t think next year I will do so much about tennis. I’ll be around no matter what, for Elina a little bit, but I’ll be more of a finance guy."
His wife, Elina Svitolina, remains an active player on the women's tour, currently ranked No. 9 and competing in the third round of the US Open. The couple also has a 3-year-old daughter, Skai.
Monfils, once ranked as high as No. 6 in the world in 2016, is currently ranked No. 311. He spent 1,000 weeks within the top 100, a milestone achieved by only a select group of elite players including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andre Agassi. Throughout his playing career, Monfils earned over $25 million.
His final Grand Slam match saw him defeated 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 by the emerging American talent Tien. An on-court ceremony was held to honor his extensive career.