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Haters gonna hate

I’m lucky: I get a lot of love from my fans and community. But man, do I also get a lot of haters. 😂

It’s part of the job description, I know, especially today with social media. My DMs are full of random insults, anonymous armchair ‘experts’ eager to tell me how crap my game was, and unfortunately, a fair share of straight-up racist remarks. 

For the most part, I don’t even look at my DMs anymore, though my community manager sometimes screenshots the most outrageous comments I get on social and sends them to me in disbelief. (A couple months ago, one guy said that he wasn’t a racist before, but that watching me play made him one. Yeah, that’s the level.) And if you think that’s bad, you should see the kind of stuff my wife Elina gets sent. It’s really shocking.

Of course, there’s a difference between a critic and a hater. Critics, you want: they’re constructive, specific, and not personal. The best ones can even help you improve yourself. Haters are simply there to get under your skin—and unfortunately, they’re a lot more common than critics.

So how do I personally deal with haters? 

It depends. Mostly, I try to ignore them. I’m lucky that it’s not much of a challenge for me. My parents taught me very early on that the opinions of people who don’t know you are not opinions worth listening to, so they mostly just roll off my back. I also think that growing up black in the milieu I grew up in, you get used to feeling a little bit singled out, so you naturally learn to tune out judgment.

Sometimes, I like to respond to haters in a really calm, honest way. Like, if someone says, “What a massive loser”, I’ll reply, “Yep, the other guy was much better than me, what an amazing game he played.”And you know what? It seems to totally disarm them to the point they’ll sometimes reply, “Yeah man, good game… better luck next time.” So much more satisfying than getting into some silly online insult war.

At the end of the day, I like to think of it in a positive way: someone who takes the time to hate on you is ultimately still taking time out for you. At some level, you fascinate them. They’re choosing to take minutes out of their precious day to give to you—even if it’s in the form of venom.

It’s true what they say: haters gonna hate, no matter what. You living a life you’re proud of is the ultimate response. 🙂 

Until next time,

Gaël 

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A Day In The Life

What does a typical day look like in the life of an athlete preparing his comeback? I can’t speak for all of them, but here’s a look at mine.

8:30am: No crazy 5am routines for me. I’m lucky to get to wake up pretty late, and I take advantage of it. These days, the only morning ritual I’m 100% committed to is going to see my baby daughter. The rest of my day is going to be jam packed, so I try to steal moments with her whenever I can.

9am: Breakfast. Obviously, I watch what I eat to an extent, but for those of you who have asked me what my nutrition plan is like in the hope of unlocking some diet secret… Sorry, nothing fancy. I eat pretty much whatever I feel like, and no food is completely off-limits for me. 🙂

10am: First training session of the day. This one lasts two hours and consists mostly of a stationary bike warm-up, mobility work, some joint flexibility stuff, and some strength exercises. 

12 noon: Not quite time for lunch yet. I jump right into tennis training for the next two hours. You can get a sneak peek at some of the work I’ve been doing in my vlogs if you’re interested.

2pm: After four hours of training, I’ve worked up a pretty decent appetite. Again, I don’t fuss too much about what I eat—though I have to be careful not to go too hard at lunchtime, because I’ve got another two hours of training waiting for me at the end of the day.

3pm-4pm: I’ve got about an hour before my last training session of the day. This is where I’ll try and fit time for one of my other interests: maybe some magic tricks, maybe a quick video meeting with someone I’ve connected with on LinkedIn. I try to say ‘yes’ to meetings as often as possible. It’s not about people-pleasing; I’m just hyper-curious. If Skaï is awake, I drop everything to go play with her for a bit. Power naps? Never. I’m proudly hyperactive.

4pm: An hour of cardio, and just under an hour of stretching. Now, it’s time to hang with Natoo.

6pm: Natho, AKA Nathanael, my physio slash world’s most badass massage therapist. He’s been such an incredible help on my path to recovery.

7pm: Remember when I said I was proudly hyperactive? Yeah. The rest of the evening is almost always full, too. I’ll have dinner and spend some time with Elina and our daughter. Then I’ll dive into some of my side projects—maybe a video meeting with my creative team, a chat with my writing consultants about my latest blog posts, a new magic trick. (Props to my wife Elina for putting up with having to watch the same trick 150 times. What a queen.)

Midnight: Bed. Finally. As you’d imagine, I never have much trouble falling asleep. 

I think I’ve found a good mix between structured and unstructured time. My philosophy is basically “do your six hours, then do anything you want.” What’s yours?

Until next time,

Gaël 

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Monfils vs. Federer: One of My Best Matches

As I get closer to returning to the court, my excitement is growing—especially when I think back to some of the highs of my career. Today, I thought I’d share the story of one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever played: The semi-final of the 2010 Rolex Master Paris Bercy. 

Me vs. Federer.

Roger Federer. A legit legend. The GOAT. A total game-changer. A man I’m lucky to call a friend. And a player I’m so proud to have shared the court with.

By this time, I’d already played him before—five times. (Never won once. Fair enough.) This match felt extra-special. It was the semi-final and a night session, ie. primetime. We were in Paris, my hometown, in an absolutely packed stadium. All my friends and family were there. 

This may sound surprising, but I remember feeling total calm as I stepped onto the court: I’d had a good week performance-wise, and I was just so pumped up. Though clearly, I was not the favorite to win.

I’ll tell you a secret. As pro players, we don’t get psyched out by critics, predictions, reputations, talk. Before the match, everyone asked me, “aren’t you nervous about facing Federer?” (Implication: “…Especially having already lost to him so many times?”) But it’s part of our training as athletes to learn to tune that stuff out. When you get onto the court, your mind goes completely analytical. You’re just doing your job, which is to find the solutions that unlock a win.

The match kicks off, and I start strong, taking the first set with a tie-break. Roger revs up and wins the tie-break in the second set. Here we are: the third set. Roger is on fire with five match points; my back is against the wall. Somehow, I save them one after the other, forcing a tie-break. The tension is high, we’re neck and neck. Finally, we’re at 6-4 in the tie-break. (I’m rewatching this match as I write this, and even though I know how it ends, I’m still nervous for myself 😂).

This is where time stops for me: suddenly, for the first time, I become hyper-aware that I might win this if only I make this point. My friends in the stands are losing it, jabbing their index fingers at me to say “just one more, man!” 

One shot. Deep breath in. And suddenly, with a single serve, the match point is mine. 

Winning a match is always thrilling, but this win was absolutely euphoric. One, because it was such a satisfying match: we were mano à mano from start to finish, both of us playing our best. Two, because I was on my home turf in Paris. And three, because… did I mention how much I admire Roger Federer?

Of course, in professional sports, the euphoria of a win is only temporary. Within 24 hours, you’re getting ready for the next match, the next tournament, the next season. But no matter how fleeting, you never feel so alive as in those moments. They make all the sacrifices you’ve made worth it. In short, I can’t wait to be back. 

What makes you feel truly alive?

Until next time,

Gaël

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My secret to perfect balance

A question I often get from people is, “Gaël, how do you find the perfect balance between your career as an athlete and your personal life/projects/time?”

I’m going to share my secret with you today: 

I clearly don’t.

Case in point: This year, I spent Christmas with my dad for the first time in — wait for it — 25 years. Yeah. (Bet you feel a little better about not seeing your parents enough now…) 

When I say it like that, it seems like there’s no possible good reason for not having seen him for the holidays once in that many years. But the truth is, the reality of my life as a pro athlete, the life that I chose, required sacrifices: moving far from my parents, having to attend training sessions or matches in lieu of birthdays, holidays, family gatherings. (As far as Christmas goes, it definitely doesn’t help that my parents are separated and that my mom’s birthday just happens to fall on December 24th 😅) 

This isn’t to make excuses. Of course, there were several times I could have made time if I’d really tried. I guess like so many of us, I also fell victim to “I’ll do it tomorrow” syndrome, and  I recognize that. Instead, I guess my point is that for me at least, there’s no such thing as perfect balance. So I’ve stopped trying to find it. 

As an athlete, as in any high-intensity career, you’re constantly forced to make hard choices. Life is full of them. Rather than trying to “strike the perfect balance” at all times, I’ve instead accepted that I’ll probably always live my life in seasons of extremes: some weeks, or even months, my life has little room for anything other than tennis. Other times, my phone is off and I’m with my family, 100%. 

I wish I had some kind of genius strategy for doing it all, all at once: attending every championship, while also tucking my daughter into bed every night, while also seeing my family whenever I want… But I don’t. As long as being a pro tennisman is the life I want, I have to own and accept the sacrifices that come with it. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it. Sometimes, feeling balanced is about accepting periods of imbalance.

And in the moments I do get with my loved ones, all I can do is be as present as possible, make sure they know what they mean to me, and not take a single second of anything for granted. Like Christmas with my dad. 

Best wishes to you all for 2023.

Until next time,
Gaël

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Lessons from 2022 (and what I’m looking forward to in 2023)

Win or lose, after every match I play, I like to go back over the game and see what I can (or did) learn from it. So I figured I’d take advantage of the downtime between Christmas and New Year’s to do the same for the year gone by… but also, to reflect on what I’m excited about in 2023. Shall we?

3 things I learned this year

To make friends with so-called ‘bad luck.’ Sometimes an event that seems like bad luck at first turns out to be good luck later on. Case in point: my injury. 2022 began as one of my most promising years performance-wise, and just like that, I got hurt. Then I bounced back strong… only to injure myself once again. At first, it felt like a curse. But then, my wife Elina found out she was expecting our first child—and thanks to my injury, I got to be there for her and spend more time with our daughter Skaï than would have ever been possible. On top of that, I suddenly had space to start dreaming up all kinds of new projects, from my vlog, to my LinkedIn posts, to a podcast I’m working on with people who inspire me. All projects that might open the door to a totally new opportunity someday. In short, my ‘curse’ turned out to be a major blessing.

Sometimes, motivation comes second. As an athlete, you get used to losing. A lot. I get asked a lot how I bounce back from disappointments and failures; how I muster up the motivation to get back into the game. This year in particular, having faced my biggest setback yet, I can finally tell you my secret: I don’t. Sure, some days you feel fired up, super motivated. But most days you don’t. Instead, you just get up and do something—anything. Put on your coat. Lace up your shoes. Step out the door. As we say in French, sometimes the appetite comes when you start eating. Don’t wait for the spirit to move you. Sometimes, the motivation comes after you start.


The people you love are your strength. More than just being a support system when things get tough, I’ve realized this year with the birth of my daughter how keeping the people you love in mind when pursuing a goal can add extra fuel to your fire. Yes, I want to get back on the court out of my own love of the game, out of my own ambitions as an athlete. But with the birth of Skaï, I realized how incredibly compelling it is to have a ‘why’ that’s not centered on yourself, but on someone you love. Now, I also want to get back into the game so Skaï has someone to look up to, so she can be proud of me and develop her own resilience role model.

And now, three things I’m looking forward to in 2023

Obvious one: getting back on the court. Look out for me this February with my first indoor matches in Europe. 🙂 

Next obvious one: my first full year of being a dad. I know I keep talking about my daughter. But I’m obsessed with her, you guys. I can’t wait to see her in the stands watching  me play for the first time! (Yet another huge reason to look forward to coming back.)

Diving deeper into side projects. It might not be easy to find tons of free time between my tennis comeback and spending time with my family, but I’m determined to keep up with my vlogs, my posts here, and all the other creative projects I’d like to explore this year. That said, getting back into playing will be a great opportunity to take you behind the scenes of the world of pro tennis, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy (maybe even more than hearing about my daughter and love of comic collecting? Hahaha.)

Alright, your turn. What have you learned this year? Let me know below.

Until next time,

Gaël 

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Let the dreamers dream

I know, I know—a pro athlete telling you to “dream big!” sounds a little cliché 😉 But the question of what it really means to have a dream, as well as the way big dreamers are treated in different countries is one I’ve thought about a lot throughout my life. So just before the holidays,  I wanted to share a few of my reflections with you anyway, as well as hear your thoughts on the matter.

And I don’t know about you, but I’ve sometimes felt that in certain places, one isn’t really allowed to dream. Set goals, yes. But dream? Not so much.

Let me explain. To me, ‘having a dream’ isn’t the same as ‘having a goal.’ The difference is subtle, but a good way to figure out which one you’re dealing with comes from a conversation I had once with Tony Parker. He told me, “If people don’t laugh when you tell them your dream, it’s not big enough.” 

Goals may require a lot of hard work to achieve, but they’re usually reasonable, attainable, plan-able. Dreams on the other hand are improbable, unreasonable, unrealistic. 

I think that in France we sometimes shy away from being ‘unrealistic’. And I totally get it! The odds are stacked against our wildest dreams coming true — so why bother having them in the first place? The thinking is that low expectations now = less disappointment later. So when a kid comes to us and says, “I want to go to the moon!” or “I want to score the winning goal at the World Cup!” often our first instinct is to tell them how much work it’ll take, how difficult it will be, how, statistically-speaking, very few people ever… blah, blah, blah, go focus on your math homework instead.

Maybe it’s our own fear, our own limits speaking, but for some reason, we feel a need to pull dreamers back to earth by ‘warning them’ about all the obstacles ahead.

But here’s a crazy thought. What if we just let the dreamers dream? So what if that dream doesn’t ever become a reality? (For most of us, it almost certainly won’t.) But I think allowing people — especially young people — to dream big sends a really important message:

Better to get hurt playing the game than stay safe but forever on the sidelines.

Encouraging someone’s crazy dream doesn’t give them false hope. It gives them real courage to chase a life they actually love.

I was lucky to have a lot of encouragement from my parents (especially my dad), but aside from that, here are two things that have really helped me:

1) Being very intentional about the people I surround myself with. 2) Making peace with the possibility that things wouldn’t work out. Try it! The audacity you develop while trying will serve you for the rest of your life.

And if you’re still struggling to figure out what your dream (not goal) is, the answer probably lies in something you loved as a kid. Your childhood passion for slaying imaginary dragons or building huge pillow forts gives you clues about the activities, values, and challenges you love.

Now the obvious question: what’s your dream?

Until next time,
Gaël

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What makes for a truly standout sponsorship?

Corporate sponsorships are a little like romantic relationships. The more you have to convince yourself it’s a match, the less it probably is. Which is why it’s been such a pleasure to work with my most recent sponsor, Artengo | Decathlon. Enthusiasm for their brand aside, everything with them has felt so easy, real, and natural—just like the right relationship. (I think that comes through pretty clearly in the vlog of my first visit to see them, which you can check out below if you’d like. We have a good time, eh?) 

Of course, I’m not naïve. Sponsorships are incredibly important for any public figure, and it’s not always easy (or smart) to say no, no, no. I think I’ve been pretty good about working only with sponsors I genuinely like, support, or at least find interesting. But, to be totally honest with you, I’d be lying if I said the cheque hadn’t helped boost my enthusiasm at times. (Hey, I’m human.)

But regardless of the product or service itself, when it comes to sponsorships, for me, three things can really help make the difference. 

  • Level of communication. (The more, the better.)
  • Personal involvement. (Sponsors, let me be part of the creative process! Public figures, actually make time for the meetings! Better yet, go hang out with the team for a day.)
  • The human aspect. (Trust, care, and authenticity between sponsor and sponsored always comes through. See attached video 😉)

These three factors are why it’s been such a pleasure for me to work with Artengo | Decathlon these last few months. Some interactions with brand teams make you feel like just a face on a banner; a walking billboard. But Artengo and Decathlon have been true partners, putting their trust in me to take risks, really involving me in the design of the racquet and colors of the apparel we created together, and—crucially—having my back all throughout the time I’ve been injured and off the court.

I don’t know how other people in my position feel, but for me, it’s so much more satisfying to feel like you’re bringing real insight, expertise, and added value to a sponsor versus just your follower count or notoriety. In short, Artengo | Decathlon teams, you guys rock.

And if you wanna see what we’ve been working on, here’s the link!

Until next time,

Gaël 

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My four obsessions, past, present, and future


Obviously, tennis is my life’s passion—but here’s some of the stuff I live for off the court.

Classic comics. Yup. I’m a total comic geek. Or let’s say “collector”. You name it, and I’ve got it on my shelf. Batman, Superman, Black Panther, The Avengers, Fantastic Four… I work with someone who helps me track down rarer issues, and I try to stop into a comic book store in every city I go to, just in case I stumble upon any exciting finds. My Marvel collection is pretty complete, so I’m working on my DC collection now. Forced to pick an all-time favorite… Oof. Tough one. But I’d have to go with Fantastic Four no. 52 from 1966: The first appearance of Black Panther. It’s not just the whole superhero universe that I love—it’s the cover art too! Give me a Jack Kirby illustration over a Picasso any day. I’m actually having a special shelf made to display my collection better. I can’t wait for my daughter Skaï to get into comics (fingers crossed)! I’d read some of mine to her as bedtime stories, but most of them are wrapped in plastic… 

Watchmaking. I’ve been crazy about watches since I was 18. It’s not even a style thing: the aesthetics are almost just a bonus for me. No, what really fascinates me about watches is the level of craftsmanship that goes into each one… The whole idea of capturing time in this incredibly detailed, wearable piece of art. I’m passionate about history, so I’ve read tons on the evolution of watchmaking over the centuries, the challenges master watchmakers have had to overcome… On a side note, how perfect is it that I live in Switzerland? One of my personal highlights of the last few years was getting to be on the jury for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Such an honor.

Magic. I’ve been learning magic for years: illusions, close-up, mentalism. I literally always have a pack of Bicycle playing cards on me, ready to show someone a trick. (Maybe I’ll show you guys a few in a future vlog.) I think it’s my inner dreamer/entertainer—my love of surprising people. On a side note, when I say my first date with my wife Elina was magical, I’m not kidding: I did a card trick for her over dinner. (Pretty sure that’s what sealed the deal.) I’m not easily starstruck, but I might be if I were to ever meet Shin Lim or Criss Angel… Hit me up, guys!

Entrepreneurship. I’m fascinated by new technology, the machines of the future, innovation of any kind, and exchanging with the people driving these projects. I guess that’s part of what excites me about LinkedIn: the opportunity to just absorb as much as possible about new entrepreneurial projects and ideas, which I hope will help me figure out what part of this world I’d like to explore further. In any case, it’s definitely something I’m considering exploring post-tennis.

Questions, recommendations related to these, or just want to give me a shout? Drop me a comment below, as always. 

Until next time,

Gaël

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“So Gaël, how’s it going?”

It’s the simplest, most everyday question. But one we never really think to answer. I mean, to really answer. Like most of us, I usually just say, “I’m good, man. You?” and move on. But so much stuff has happened  in the last few months, and I wanted a way to share my news, experiences, and thoughts with you  in a more direct, authentic way. 

In short, let these posts be my genuine answer to the question, “So, Gaël, how’s it going?”

Basically, I hope to give you a behind-the-scenes look into my life, explore my own (many) interests outside of tennis, share some of the highs and lows of my career for those who’d like to hear about them… But also to get your thoughts, answer your questions, and start real conversations. 

What I’ll try to avoid: teaching lessons. I’ve met a lot of lesson-givers in this life. I don’t feel a need to be one of them. Obviously I’ve learned things throughout my career, and I’ll talk about my personal experiences. But don’t expect any posts with names like “10 ways to cultivate resilience” or anything like that.

Anyway.

If you’re here, it’s because you’re probably familiar with my career as a tennis player, so hopefully I can skip the intro. I’m gonna dive straight into some life updates instead.

As some of you are aware, I’ve been off the court the last few months recovering from an injury—a torn fascia I got last August, right in the middle of a match. (Basically, I busted my foot in front of 10,000 people. Yeah, you can find the video online.) I’ve also got what’s called a calcaneal spur, so, lucky me! Obviously, it’s been super frustrating—especially since I was playing some of my best games at the start of this year, getting up to #20 in the world rankings. I’m lucky that I’m surrounded by awesome physios who are helping me get back on track for next year (though I’m thinking protected ranking is likely in the cards for me). That said, in one huge way, this injury has been an incredible blessing in disguise—which brings me to my next update…

I’m a dad! Elina and I welcomed our first baby, Skaï, about a month and a half ago. Because of my injury, I was able to spend much more time with both her and our new daughter than I ever could have in a normal season where I was traveling, training, and playing. I got to be with Elina every day throughout the end of her pregnancy and be there for her completely during the birth. People ask me how it feels to be a father, and to be honest, I don’t really have the words. It’s indescribable, incredible love. I get joy from the smallest interaction with Skaï—sometimes I’m tempted to wake her up from a nap just to play with her (don’t worry guys, I don’t). I finally get what people mean when they used to tell me I’d “understand when it happened”. I say the same thing to my friends now. Skaï is already my world—so in a sense, I’m really grateful this injury happened when it did. And as much as I can’t wait to be back on the court, part of me is already feeling kind of guilty and sad that I’ll have to be away from Elina and our daughter. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll have more to share about my experience juggling fatherhood with a professional sporting career, so stay tuned for that. Btw, parents (and especially,  athletes slash parents) who are reading this, if you’ve got any good tips for me, I’m all ears! Feel free to drop me a comment below.

As if a newborn wasn’t keeping me busy enough, I’ve also been working on some new non tennis-related projects, including the launch of this site and blog, producing my first vlogs on YouTube, creating a podcast with people who inspire me (more on that later), and of course, finding new ways to connect with my community over on LinkedIn. I’ll share stuff I’m working on with you here and there: stay tuned!

Ok, ok—now it’s your turn to talk. I’d love to know what subjects you’re personally curious to hear about, what experiences you’d like me to share, what questions you have  (if any). Drop me a line in the comments below. Otherwise, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you around.

Gaël

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