Gael Monfils’ final-ever campaign at the Acapulco Open came to an end at the hands of Valentin Vacherot.
Monfils announced he would retire at the end of 2026, with his last tournament expected to be the Paris Masters.
The 39-year-old was presented with a ceremony in Mexico after his defeat in the round of 16 of the ATP 500 event.
One of Monfils’ biggest rivals, Juan Martin del Potro, was in attendance for the Frenchman’s ceremony, and the star sent a message to the Grand Slam champion.
Gael Monfils calls Juan Martin del Potro a ‘champion’ in Acapulco
Monfils, along with Stan Wawrinka, is one of the last of a golden era, which included the likes of del Potro, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
It was fitting that del Potro was in attendance for Monfils’ final match at the Mexican tournament, as the pair were two of the more successful players outside of the ‘big three’.
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Spotting the Argentine in the crowd during his Mexican Open ceremony, Monfils stated: “We had big battles. He’s a big champion.
“For me, it means a lot that you’re here, that you send messages. Thank you so much Juan Martin and thank you to the others as well.”
Monfils was defeated in his opening round match in Acapulco, before falling to Vacherot in straight sets his next match.
Gael Monfils and Juan Martin del Potro’s head-to-head record
Despite their longevity in tennis, Monfils and del Potro only played two matches in competitive ATP Tour action.
The Argentine won both of those matches, which coincidentally happened at the same tournament in consecutive years.
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Del Potro defeated Monfils at the Rotterdam Open in 2013 and 2014 without dropping a single set against the Frenchman.
At the 2013 tournament, del Potro beat Monfils on his way to lifting the only Rotterdam Open title of his career.
The Argentine defeated Julien Benneteau in the final and also picked up victories against Grigor Dimitrov and Ernests Gulbis.
