A few days from now, something very special is going to happen, right here in Paris. You’re only three years old, so a little too young still to know about it 🙂 But I am writing you this letter, with the hope that one day you will read your mom’s thoughts and then you will understand. You will understand why your dad means so much to so many people around the world. You will understand why his career has been such an amazing one….… and why his final Roland Garros is such a beautiful moment.
You will understand why sometimes, tennis, it’s about more than just tennis.
But I will start here by telling you about the tennis itself — because when it comes to your dad and this topic, there is a lot to tell. The first thing you should know, I think, it’s that Gaël Monfils was one of the greatest shot-makers anyone has ever seen. There are others who were more consistent, or who made fewer mistakes.…. but it’s interesting. Because when you say why these players are great, maybe you are needing to give a long explanation. Or you are needing to show many statistics, or a whole match, or a whole tournament. But with your dad? It’s not like this. With your dad, it’s so simple. You can show someone a single point of his, even a single shot … and now they will “get it.” Because your dad, in just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what I think few athletes ever achieve. He could make people feel something. Almost like at a concert and there’s a perfect song, or at the movies and there’s a perfect line, and you have this feeling like, Oh my god. WOW. It takes your breath away. I wouldn’t say that sports are usually like this.…. they are competition, you know? But if you watch Gaël play, there are moments where you connect to something deeper than sports. Where you feel like, OK, tennis…… this is not just one player trying to grind another player to dust. When it’s in the very best moments??? It’s also magic.
And your dad was the best magician.
His creativity, his speed, his intelligence, his coordination….. and let’s be honest, his cute smile 🙂 With Gaël, you are feeling like he’s putting on a magic show, just for you. And I know this not only from his tennis — but also from our first date!!! Hahaha. Let me tell you the story.
So when I was a young player in Ukraine, I knew who Gaël Monfils was just from watching on TV. Also, in the shop at our tennis center, there were many racquets for sale, and one was a Prince model with his picture on the cardboard cover. (If you would tell me back then I will end up marrying “the guy on the Prince cardboard” … I think I would say, first, that racquet is too HEAVY!!! Second, I don’t believe you.) Anyway, for years he was mostly that guy to me. And then eventually I became a professional player as well, and hired a coach who was from France, like Gaël. So that’s how we met: in 2017, in New York, on a practice court in Central Park, introduced by a mutual friend. But I was very shy, so it’s just a hello. Then a year later, I’m 24 now, I win the WTA Finals in Singapore. And after winning, I go to Paris to celebrate, and I post about it on Instagram. (I’ll explain Instagram to you another time.) Your dad sees my post, and messages me about how he’s also in Paris, and should we meet up while we’re each out with our friends. So we meet up — then he barely talks to me the entire night!!! To be fair, he was sober. While I was … celebrating. Hahaha. But at the end of the night, I’m leaving the bar, and he walks me to my taxi. And asks would I would like to get coffee with him the next day. I’m like, “Sure!”