Gael Monfils has been one of the most athletic, explosive, fastest, and electric players on tour since 2005 when he was named ATP Newcomer of the Year. He’s got a reputation for being an entertainer first on the court, often breaking out trick shots, dives, and ridiculous sliding defensive saves to hype up the crowd.
During the early part of his career, he had some great results like making the French Open semifinals in 2008 but was inconsistent in backing those results up. That said, he has made a Final at ATP Tour level each year since 2005.
In his more recent (older) years, he’s become more dedicated to his fitness and professionalism, purported by some to be due to his relationship with WTA star Elina Svitolina.
Sadly, he injured his heel and had a surgery after Madrid 2022 and reinjured the same foot in his first tournament back in Montreal.
Hopefully, the flashy Frenchman can recover and give us a few more fun, entertaining years!
Let’s take a look at his equipment.
Here’s Gael Monfils current racquet setup:
- Endorsed Racquet: Artengo TR 960 Control Tour
- Actual Racquet: Artengo TR 960 Control Tour
- Strings: Luxilon ALU Power 125 at 26/25kg (57/55 lbs)
A Long Racquet History
Seeing as Gael has been on the tour for nearly twenty years, he’s gone through his fair share of sponsorship changes.
When he first came on tour, he used a Head Prestige Mid – whether this was the Prestige Classic (PT10) or another iteration is not something I could find – with a ton of extra weight.
Embed from Getty Images- See the painted on “Flexpoint” holes on Monfils’ Prestige Mid
His specs for this period as measured by a professional tournament stringer at Wimbledon were:
- Strung mass: 368g
- Strung balance: 32.7 cm
- Strung swingweight: 386
This is a MEATY racquet, especially with Gael’s 4-5/8” grip size. It’s not a surprise he could absolutely destroy a ball with it, hitting a forehand near 120 mph against Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open.
After his Head contract expired, he contracted with Prince, endorsing and apparently using the EXO3 Rebel 95 in its lively green and black cosmetic. He was quoted as saying something along the lines of “I hit two balls and knew it was the racquet for me.”
Specs for his personal Prince frames that popped up sport unstrung weights around 330g. Even with a dampener and overgrip added, that’s only pushing about 355g after stringing at most. Gael either played his Princes at lighter specs or these numbers are unreliable.
He eventually moved to Wilson where he used the H19, Wilson’s pro stock answer to the Head Prestige, under Blade paintjobs.
Eventually, he transitioned to endorsing the Ultra Tour and Pro racquets. Released at retail, these 97 square-inch frames shared the H19 mold and oozed control, feel, and precision.
Some of Monfils’ Wilson racquets were available for sale through reputable pro stock sellers and had the following specs:
- Strung mass: 378g
- Strung balance: 30.7 cm
- Strung swingweight: 371
This is another massively heavy spec from Gael. The balance is lowered significantly which in tandem with a lower swingweight than his Head leads to more maneuverability. There’s still plenty of mass behind the ball even with the low balance.
Though, given his strength and athleticism, Monfils could probably play just fine with anything. Those lanky limbs lend ludicrous leverage to his groundstrokes, especially his forehand: he clocked one at 124 mph against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells in 2022.
In 2022, Gael announced his sponsorship with Artengo, Decathlon Sports’ in-house tennis brand. He got a brand new racquet in the form of the Artengo TR 960 Control Tour which it appears he is actually using.
It’s got a sleek silver and black cosmetic and looks very similar to a Prestige or Ultra Tour/H19 in beam width and head shape.
He’s even sporting their shoes, switching from his long-reliable Asics Gel Resolution. Decathlon is generally known as a discount sporting goods brand, but reviews of their tennis equipment has gotten high praise from gear aficionados.
The visibility brought to them by Monfils should help get their products in the hands of more players throughout the world!
Strings
Gael has used Luxilon ALU Power 125 in the mid to high 50s for tension for most of his career. Like many other pro players, he prefers the crisp, controlled feel of this gold standard string.
However, he was spotted using Luxilon Element in the crosses for a bit of time. The Element provides a softer stringbed and also allows the ALU to slide a bit more, providing some extra spin potential. He looks to be back with full ALU Power in his Artengo stick.
Conclusion
As we see above, one of the flashiest players on tour uses what might be the heaviest racquet on tour. I have not personally seen any specs apart from those of retired players that even come close to Gael’s static weight that tops 13 ounces.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, when he’s healthy the Frenchman can still electrify crowds and bust forehands at light speed. He’s just doing it with an Artengo now.
Let’s hope he can get healthy for another season or two or at the very least a fun and entertaining farewell tour!
If you’re interested in other ATP players’ racquets, I listed all the top 100 players’ racquets in this post.