French star Gael Monfils has recently shared that he will be concluding his notable professional career by the end of the 2026 season. His retirement announcement attracted heartfelt responses from elite players, including Serbian legend Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, his wife Elina Svitolina, and other players.Gael Monfils has won 13 ATP Tour singles titles, and by winning the 2025 Auckland Open men's singles title, he became the oldest ATP Tour champion at 38 years and four months. In the final round, he defeated Belgium's talent, Zizou Bergs, with a set score of 6-3, 6-4 to claim his thirteenth Tour-level title.The Paris, France, native was recently seen in action at the 2025 Chengdu Open and retired in his opening match against Kazakhstani player Alexander Shevchenko, due to suffering from a hard tumble, ending the match at 7-6(3), 3-6, 0-1.Through his recent Instagram post, the Frenchman announced his heartfelt message regarding his retirement from tennis. He wrote along with the message,"Now, after celebrating my 39th birthday just a month ago, I'd like to share that the year ahead will be my last as a professional tennis player." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHis heartwarming note garnered admirable responses from tennis personalities, including Novak Djokovic, who added,"LaMonf… What a treat was to watch you every match. You are an amazing human being that brings joy to people on and off the court. That counts more then anything else. Tennis wise, your athleticism is off the charts. One of the best I have ever seen in all sports. Thank you 🙏 for all the great battles over the years we had and enjoy your last dance, my friend 🙌🎾❤️"Japanese star, Naomi Osaka, wrote,"🥹❤️ congratulations on everything and thank you for inspiring all of us!"His wife, Elina Svitolina, whom he married in July 2021, mentioned,"Can’t wait to begin this new chapter with you 🥹🥹🥹 we love you ! ❤️❤️❤️"Zizou Bergs added,"Thank you for all my idol❤️❤️❤️" (translated by Instagram)French talent, Terence Atmane, expressed,"Goat 🫶🏼"Czech player, Jakub Mensik, also mentioned,"❤️❤️ la monf"Screenshot of Gael Monfils' Instagram post featuring players' comments | Source: IG/iamgaelmonfilsMonfils is also widely known by his monikers, 'La Monf' and 'Sliderman', due to his on-court sliding playing style.Gael Monfils played against tennis legends, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy MurrayThe French veteran, Gael Monfils, competed with the top talents throughout his career. Against the Serbian legend, he has a head-to-head of 0-20 and against Swiss legend, Roger Federer, he has a record of 4-10.The duo last competed in 2019 at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid, with Federer winning the match. Apart from them, he also competed with Spanish icon, Rafael Nadal, with whom he had a record of 2-14, with Nadal in the lead.Against the British star, Andy Murray, Monfils won two of their six matches, with Murray leading with four wins.