Monfils Named Captain of France Davis Cup Team

Gael Monfils has been named captain of the France Davis Cup team one month after announcing his retirement from tennis. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) made the appointment public in a statement on Saturday.

Monfils, who rose to sixth in the world rankings, officially retired last month. The player, who was knocked out in the second round of the US Open in September, ended a 22-year professional career. Over the course of his career, he reached the semifinals of two Grand Slam tournaments.

France will begin its Davis Cup qualifying ties in February, and Monfils will be on the sidelines for those matches. He took over the role from Paul-Henri Mathieu, who led the team to the quarterfinals last year.

In his statement, Monfils said that wearing the France jersey meant a great deal to him. He said he wants to build a team-focused project and win the trophy together. The 40-year-old represented France in eight Davis Cup squads and won 12 of his singles matches. In the 2014 final, he defeated Roger Federer in straight sets, but France lost the tie to Switzerland.

Monfils was not in the squad when France won its 10th Davis Cup in 2017. As captain, he said he wants to add new trophies to that cabinet. Although captaincy is a non-playing role, he said he wants to contribute to that goal.