Bill Simons
Monday at the French Open, Gaël Monfils, the most celebrated Black European tennis player of the 21st century, will be playing the last Roland Garros of his storied 22-year career. Yet somehow, I think of Arthur Ashe.
After all, in the 60s and 70s, the American laid the foundation for modern tennis, where diversity has long empowered the game.
Simply put, Ashe, with his courage, dignity and restraint, set the stage for the gravity-defying Frenchman to dance on the edge and unleash his poetic magic. While, like Jackie Robinson, the cerebral Ashe felt he had to reassure white audiences, Monfils felt free to entertain with joy, humor and showmanship. He gleefully unleashed imaginative strokes and jaw-dropping winners.
One observer claimed, “If tennis ever awarded titles based on acrobatics, Gaël would have a trophy case the size of the Louvre.” For him, improvisation was an art form. He chased balls like French Impressionists chased sunlight. His presence ignited arenas and locker rooms.
In contrast, said former senator Bill Bradley, “Ashe was not loud. He didn’t boast. Like a good poet, he used silence to his advantage. He held back until he was ready, and that restraint was a strength.”
Ashe’s ancestor was sold into slavery to a tobacco planter in 1735. Monfils’ mom was a nurse from Martinique.
Arthur and Gaël have much in common. At tournaments they often would get blow-back. Ashe would be stung by the N-word. Ilie Nastase called him a “Negroni.” An American star told the young Monfils, “You’re not good enough to be that cocky.” If Gaël won, he was a hero. If he lost, some dismissed him as an outsider.
Both Ashe and Monfils embraced causes beyond tennis. Monfils has continually been by the side of his wife, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, as she pushed back mightily against Putin’s invasion of her country. Ashe tirelessly worked to undermine apartheid.
Both athletes were incredibly curious. The reflective Monfils has a penchant for taking courses. Ashe had a probing intellect. His curiosity was a wonder, and so was his library. Education was his passion.
And while both players were disrupters, they nonetheless were comfortable with the establishment. Ashe long served on corporate boards. Monfils, who now lives in Geneva, wants to become a banker.
Plus, Ashe and Monfils both have daughters with distinctive names. And get this, Skai Monfils, at three, and Camera Ashe, at five, were both recipients of two of the most poignant letters ever written in tennis.
In 1993, a mere two weeks before his death, Arthur wrote a touching letter to his five-year-old daughter. A few days ago, in the Players Tribune, Monfils’ wife, Elina Svitolina, shared a letter she wrote her daughter which wove together a mother’s wisdom, life lessons and a celebration of her husband.
She wrote, “Gaël was one of the greatest shot-makers anyone has ever seen. There are others who were more consistent…[But] with your dad, it’s so simple…In just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what 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…
“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…In the very best moments, it’s magic. And your dad was the best magician.
“His creativity, his speed, his intelligence, his coordination…and let’s be honest, his cute smile 🙂 You feel like he’s putting on a magic show, just for you…
“I feel so lucky to be on this adventure with your dad…Actually sometimes it’s been quite hard – but I think that’s what marriage and partnership is about…
“A lot of people…see Gaël as just this guy who entertains. The charismatic showman, with a colorful personality. But off the court…he’s quite complex. He has such a strong, thoughtful mind, where I always feel like he’s reflecting…The creativity he put into his tennis, when he’s at home, he puts that same energy into our family life…He is always doing the little things to comfort our trio in some way.”
Svitolina then explained how scary the invasion of Ukraine was and how supportive Gaël has been. Her letter continued: “Your dad has such a high character, and such a human perspective. It’s that he’s someone who’s been through a lot in life – especially as a Black man in France, and in a sport like tennis…Certain clubs wouldn’t let him in because of the color of his skin. This made my heart break, and it made me so angry. But it also gave me so much in admiration for the journey he’s been on…
“When you read this, it will seem impossible to believe something like that ever happened…[but] I’ve definitely seen some reactions to your dad and me as a mixed-race couple. I’m always blown away by how he handles this stuff – it’s with such grace. And when I wonder about your own experiences you’ll have as a mixed-race woman, I know how grateful I am that Gaël is your father. There is no one I trust more to help you navigate the world.”
Elina then spoke of how beloved Gaël was, and, although he never reached a Slam final, he twice made it to the semis of majors. He was a junior phenom who went on to become the oldest player to win an ATP tourney, and he holds a slew of French records.
Of course, many people tried to change his game. Jim Courier once quipped, “I’d pay money to watch Gaël, and I’d pay money not to coach him.” But Svitolina explained that Gaël worked so hard, sacrificed so much and ultimately understood a secret. “Life is not about just adding up our results…It’s about who we are, and who we become…It’s about the experiences we are able to have, the relationships we are able to build, the feelings we are able to inspire and share. It’s about staying true…He always, always, always stayed true. To his own path. To his own style. To his own identity. To his own beliefs. To his joy for the game…his respect for the game…his love for the game…
“I hope people will say, Gaël Monfils, there wasn’t another one like him…He meant so much to tennis … but also something so much deeper than tennis.
“Gaël Monfils, he stayed true.”
So did Ashe.
In his letter to his daughter, Arthur told Camera that he was writing as author Maya Angelou was speaking at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. “Tears came to my eyes as I watched her conjure up symbols and allusions generations old in the African American world, as she sought…to challenge humanity to do better.”
Arthur said that if he could give Camera one gift, it would be a life without discrimination. But he concedes he can’t do that – his daughter will just have to deal with life’s realities. He told her, “Because of the color of your skin and the fact that you are a girl, your credibility and competence will constantly be questioned.” He reasoned that racism and sexism will probably always be around, but he told Camera she must never use them as an excuse.
Then, in a manner reminiscent of Tom Joad’s farewell speech in The Grapes of Wrath, Ashe assured Camera, “Wherever I am when you feel sick at heart and weary of life, or when you stumble and fall and don’t know if you can get back up again, think of me. I will be watching and smiling and cheering you on.”
