Retiring stars Wawrinka, Monfils rewarded with French Open wild cards

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

French Open organizers are giving one final, fitting tribute to retiring players Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, who have received wild-card entries in the upcoming Roland Garros tournament.

Both living legends, who have already announced they will retire after the 2026 tournament calendar, will have one last dance on the most prestigious clay court in tennis.

Wawrinka is coming off a brief stint in the Italian Open after failing to play in the second round, resulting in a walkover victory for Pablo Carreño Busta.

On the other hand, Monfils has yet to redeem himself after exiting the Madrid Open in the first round, where he lost to Camilo Ugo Carabelli in two sets.

Although Wawrinka is still battling recurring injuries, the Swiss legend admitted that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play again on the court where he won his 2015 Grand Slam title.

In retrospect, Wawrinka won his second career Grand Slam on clay, outlasting the great Roger Federer in four sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

He also spent some of his most competitive years at Roland Garros, specifically in 2016 and 2017, when he reached at least the semifinal rounds.

Despite entering the 2026 French Open as a huge underdog, Wawrinka is still a man to beat once the main draw begins, boasting an illustrious career capped by 16 ATP Tour-level singles trophies and an Olympic doubles gold medal.

Meanwhile, Monfils, who was tagged as the sport’s “Sliderman” due to his unorthodox style of tennis, proudly accepted the wild-card invitation without second-guessing.

Popularly known for his entertaining on-court performances and antics, Monfils became an ATP Tour favorite and was widely loved by fans during his heyday from 2016 to 2019.

Monfils failed to win a Roland Garros title but made sure that the eventual winners were given a run for their money.

His best French Open achievement came in 2008 when he ousted David Ferrer to march to the tournament’s semifinal round, and he was a three-time quarterfinalist in 2009, 2011, and 2014.

According to tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, Wawrinka and Monfils will be joined by 17-year-old tennis prodigy Moise Kouame, Adam Walton, Nishesh Basavareddy, Titouan Droguet, Hugo Gaston, and Arthur Gea as the only players granted main-draw wild-card tickets.