Monfils listed as retired, putting Paris farewell in doubt

Gael Monfils has been placed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s retired-player list, a move that makes him ineligible to enter professional tournaments unless he completes the required return-to-competition testing period. The listing records October 5, 2026, as his retirement date, months before the end of the season he had previously identified as his planned final year. The ITIA told Reuters that retired players are removed from tennis’s anti-doping protocols and cannot compete unless they re-enter the testing pool and make themselves available for testing for at least six months. The rule puts Monfils’ expected farewell at the Paris Masters in doubt. The event is scheduled for October 31 to November 8, but no supplied report confirms that Monfils has withdrawn from the tournament. Monfils, 40, has not publicly confirmed that he is retiring immediately. His previously announced plan was to end his career after the 2026 season, with the Paris tournament offering a potential final appearance in France. The reason his name was added to the ITIA list on October 5, ahead of that plan, has not been officially explained.