Novak Djokovic pays tribute to Indian Wells star | Sports News

Novak Djokovic made sure to give Gael Monfils his flowers after the latter bowed out of Indian Wells.

Monfils, 39, has long been one of the more entertaining gamers in tennis, recognized for the shotmaking and magnificence he introduced to every match. That stated, the French star introduced in October 2025 that this 12 months can be it for him, opting to stroll away on the conclusion of the 2026 season.

“I mean, these guys [Stan Wawrinka], we’re talking about Gael now, he deserves every applause and every credit out there for not just what he has done on the tennis court and with his athleticism that was off the charts, I mean, one of the most athletic tennis players ever to hold the racquet, in my opinion, and one of the most exciting players to watch,” Djokovic said [h/t Tennis365].

“I always love, I mean, I think there is no one who doesn’t like watching Gael play tennis because you never know what to expect. I think that’s what brought a lot of interest and also a lot of smiles to people when they watch him play.

“But also, his character features and values. You know, he’s such a nice guy, and it’s, like, literally no one that I know in the last 20 years that has gotten into something negative or some kind of conflict with him. That speaks volumes about him, who he is as a person, and always had tremendous respect by all of the fellow tennis players. You know, everyone loves him.”

Djokovic added that, considering how impressive Monfils has been throughout his career, who once was the No. 6-ranked men’s player in the world, the fans in the stands should give the Frenchman the send-off he deserves after more than two decades of success.

“He deserves to play this year the way he wants to play and to go out from tennis and say good-bye in a way that he feels that it’s fit,” Djokovic said. “I hope the crowd will give him, in every tournament, a proper support that he deserves.”

Monfils’ Indian Wells journey got here to an finish, dropping out to world No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in three units. Meanwhile, Djokovic is slated to tackle Jack Draper within the Round of 16 in California.

As the Serbian star continues with his season, he admitted that as long as he feels the hunger to keep competing against the best players in the world, he has no reason to retire.

“For me, that has been a phenomenal end result,” he said after defeating Jannik Sinner and falling to Carlos Alcaraz. “So I’ve confirmed to myself primarily and to others that I can nonetheless compete on the highest stage and beat these guys. So my logic is why not keep going as long as I’ve that fire and aptitude and high quality and the motivation to do this.”