The Athletic has live coverage of Day 2 of the 2026 French Open.

PARIS – Novak Djokovic has lifted 24 Grand Slam trophies, including three Coupes des Mousquetaires on the red clay of Roland Garros. This year, at 39, he returned as a favorite to win the men’s singles tournament.

But for four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, the title of greatest of all time belongs to another. Her personal GOAT has 24 fewer Grand Slams than Djokovic, has never made it past the semifinals of the French Open and serves as a reminder that the number of championships on one’s resume is but one measure of greatness.

The ability to inspire others is another.

Gaël Monfils, who is the same age as Djokovic, will retire at the end of this year as one of the most inspiring players in French tennis history. His impact on a generation of his young countrymen, and a generation of Black players both at home and abroad, has far outweighed the 13 titles he has so far collected through a 22-year career.

“Seeing representation is so important, and on the women’s side, you know, for me growing up, I have had Serena and Venus, so I was so grateful to them,” Osaka said in a news conference, explaining why she calls Monfils “The GOAT.”

“On the men’s side, I always looked up to him and [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga for such a long time. I think it’s just so important. And obviously there is a wave of Black French guys coming up. … I know for sure he’s inspired a lot of players here.”

Monfils’ tennis still contributed plenty to the sport. He had the unfortunate fate of having to contend for titles in the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, rose to a career-high No. 6 in the world and managed to leave his mark anyway.

His shot-making and athleticism transfixed even casual sports fans and provided a counterargument to tennis’ reputation as a stuffy, inaccessible sport. Monfils’ limbs seemed extendable when he galloped after shots or flung himself across a court to stick a racket on the ball.

He matched that with an indefatigability that so often came alive on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he will play what could be his last match at his home Grand Slam Monday night against Hugo Gaston. Against Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien last year, and against Argentina’s Sebastián Báez in 2023, Monfils, down on the scoreboard and wracked by cramps, rose to his congregation as they rose to him.

That disposition made it hard to root against him. The lasting image of Monfils’ career might be him keeling over with exhaustion after a marathon point, only to look up with a grin — whether he won the point or not.

“Ben Shelton told me of late that he would only watch Monfils highlights,” the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime said during a news conference. “So players like Gaël are an inspiration for players who were not necessarily that interested in tennis and having a different perspective on the game. I think that Gaël, in that regard, is quite unique.

“He’s been unique his whole career. I’ve played against him in Indian Wells. The atmosphere on the court was absolutely unbelievable. It was the first round. People were so happy, so excited to see him one last time. He’s very loved everywhere he goes.”

Monfils leaves French tennis at something of an uneasy juncture. Thirty French players are competing at Roland Garros this week, including two men, 27-year-old Ugo Humbert and 30-year-old Arthur Rinderknech, who are among the 64 seeded players across the men’s and women’s draws.

But 21-year-old Arthur Fils, France’s top-ranked man and one of the most exciting young prospects in the sport, withdrew from the French Open Saturday with an injury that he could not yet accurately diagnose. The setback came just three months into Fils’ return from a stress fracture in his back, which occurred at Roland Garros last year.

“I thought about it, and I wondered, would I only play for one round or two rounds? Am I ready for everything? I know the answer. The answer is to aim for a deep run,” Fils said in a news conference Saturday. “I know I can do it, but I wouldn’t be 100 percent. I’m not even at 50 percent of my normal shape right now, so I don’t want to take any risk.”

A Frenchman hasn’t won the French Open since 1983, when Yannick Noah did so.

Monfils, at the tail end of his career, might praise Fils for thinking in the long term. He’s had more than enough time to tutor the young players who grew from being fans of Monfils into cherished comrades.

“I have so many memories with Gaël. Obviously, I watched him play on TV when I was a kid, and I saw all his great matches. It was great,” Humbert said in a news conference. “All the time we had together on the tour was also fabulous. He’s a great person. We have had very nice discussions that are positive, and this is what I take away from Gaël.

“Honestly, he’s here for the others, and it’s not always easy on the tour.”

It’s never easy leaving the tour, either, but in true Monfils fashion, he’s making goodbye look fun.

The tournament feted him before the main draw began with a “Gael & Friends” showcase on Court Philippe-Chatrier for which Jannik Sinner, Djokovic, Osaka, Caroline Garcia, Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Elina Svitolina, Monfils’ wife, appeared among others. Osaka then co-hosted a dinner alongside Taylor Townsend for Monfils at Paris’ swanky Soho House. It brought together several current Black players, as well as player-turned-broadcaster Chris Eubanks. It was Osaka’s way of honoring her personal GOAT.

Monfils smiled when he was told in a news conference of Osaka’s compliment.

“I think when you’re in it, it’s tough to look a little bit around how much influence that you have. When I hear that, I’m very grateful, you know, if I inspired some players,” Monfils said.

“Of course, I know some young kids, they like my style, the way I play, the way I move, for the Black community also to see someone also, you know, on the tour. I think it was important, and then I think of course maybe I inspired some Black players to say that, yeah, they can make it, and then they can see from their own eyes.

“My bucket list is full,” he said. “The only thing that I had, I think is 99.9 percent, it was just to lift this trophy, but the rest is, I made everything. Roland Garros gave me anything that I ever dreamed, wished, worked for.”