"My wife tells me I look pretty" - Gael Monfils issues strong response to racist abuse from bettors after Stuttgart exit

Gael Monfils' latest on-court outing was a disappointing one. The veteran Frenchman was ousted by Alex Michelsen in the first round of the ongoing 2025 Stuttgart Open. Later, bettors targeted the 38-year-old on social media, prompting the former No. 6 to issue a savage response.

Not long after Michelsen's 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Monfils in Stuttgart, bettors made a variety of distasteful remarks about the Frenchman on Instagram. While some of the comments wished for Monfils to get hurt, others were racially abusive.

Some of the hateful comments written by bettors on Gael Monfils' Instagram (Source: Instagram/iamgaelmonfils)

Gael Monfils though, didn't take the hateful remarks lying down. The 13-time ATP Tour-level titlist sarcastically asked bettors why they continue to bet their money on him if they know he's not performing well.

"Hey guys, this is not financial advice. But really, you still betting on me? First tournament on grass? I play Alex Michelsen. 20-years-old, 75 in the world, and you want to bet on me? You writing that I'm s**t. I know I'm s**t. We both know I'm s**t, and you still bet on me?," Monfils questioned.

The 38-year-old went on to address the comments wishing for him to get hurt and also the racist abuse he has had to deal with. According to Monfils, both his mother and his wife Elina Svitolina tell him he's "pretty".

"By the way, you know my legs were cracked many times. I played with a broken leg already, so, don't pray for that. The thing is I'm not suffering, sorry. We are in 2025 and you give me the skin color. What does my skin color have to do with my tennis performance? I know I look pretty. I say that because my mom and my wife tell me I look pretty. Maybe I'm really awful for you," the Frenchman added.

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This isn't the first time Monfils has been subjected to hateful abuse based on his skin color.

Gael Monfils received racially-charged hate after early exit from Italian Open 2020

At the 2020 Italian Open, Gael Monfils was the No. 5 seed in the men's singles main draw, and subsequently received a first-round bye. However, the Frenchman's campaign in Rome collapsed as early as the second round, where Dominik Koepfer dealt him a 6-2, 6-4 defeat.

After the shocking result, Monfils revealed via Instagram that fans had referred to him using derogatory words and phrases such as "slave" and "stupid black monkey". The Frenchman also reflected on his poor performance at the ATP Masters 1000 event, writing:

"Unfortunately I gave it everything, but was very bad. Not a good evening, but I hope to come back stronger."

Gael Monfils currently finds himself ranked 42nd on the ATP Tour's singles rankings. So far this season, the former No. 6 has a 17-9 win-loss record.

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Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati