Daniil Medvedev has praised his ATP rival Gael Monfils after his apparent retirement from tennis.
Very unexpectedly, Monfils’ name has appeared in the Retired Players List on the website of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). He was set to retire from tennis at the end of the 2026 season, but the apparent decision has certainly come sooner than many expected.
That includes Medvedev, who was tasked with discussing the iconic Frenchman after reaching the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-5 in the round of 16 of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in China.
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Daniil Medvedev reacts to ‘strange’ Gael Monfils retirement situation
Told by the media in Shanghai that Monfils is officially retiring, Medvedev said: “It’s a bit of a strange story, so maybe you can tell me more, I don’t know. Who put him on this list? Does he want to retire?”
And when he was given a response of “Yes”, the Russian replied: “Okay, then it’s good.” Then tasked with giving his thoughts on Monfils as a player and a person, Medvedev said: “Super fun. Super tough to play against. Especially, I’m going to say something, especially when you are up in the score it’s very tough to play against him. Because he relaxes and starts going for everything, tweeners and stuff like this.
“But, look, I hope, first of all, that he’s okay, because for sure I would guess he wanted to play Paris and stuff. So if he retired, I don’t know what’s happening, but I hope that he’s enjoying himself, that he’s feeling good. Amazing career, and probably one of not many guys that probably there is not one guy who is going to say bad things about him.”
Monfils and Medvedev met five times throughout their ATP careers, with the Russian claiming three wins and suffering two losses. If indeed it is the end of the road for the Frenchman, he will retire with a 588-360 win-loss record. His final match will have arrived in the second round of the US Open against Learner Tien, which he lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2024 | Medvedev | Beijing | Round of 32 | Outdoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2024 | Medvedev | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Round of 32 | Outdoor Clay | 62 64 |
| 2022 | Monfils | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Round of 32 | Outdoor Hard | 46 63 61 |
| 2019 | Monfils | Rotterdam | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 46 63 64 |
| 2019 | Medvedev | Sofia | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 62 64 |
Daniil Medvedev discusses ATP Finals pursuit
It is a significant victory in Shanghai for Medvedev, who has kept his dreams of playing at this year’s ATP Finals alive. The Russian is eighth in the Race to Turin, with the top eight players set to qualify for the year-end event. One place has, however, been made available by Jannik Sinner ending his 2026 season early due to injury.
Sharing how it feels to pursue a spot right until the last minute, Medvedev said: “Look, it’s all about results. If I played strong in Canada, quarters of, and continued my results here, and didn’t lose 200 points somewhere last week, I would probably be officially qualified. So it’s just about results. If you lose first round, maybe you are not in Turin. If you make quarters every Masters of the year, you probably are in Turin. So just trying my best, and if I’m there, perfect. If not, Maldives is good as well.”
Medvedev is among a number of players chasing a precious spot, with only Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz having qualified so far. Alex de Minaur and Rafael Jodar, also into the Shanghai quarterfinals, are hot on the heels of the Russian. However, Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fils, who are all ahead of Medvedev in the standings, suffered exits earlier in the tournament.
