Gael Monfils wrote a beautiful post about his dad, and what turning 40 years old today means for him: “40. When my father turned forty, I was a boy celebrating him without really understanding what forty meant. I remember the room, the music, all the people around him. And me, watching him, thinking that one day I'd like to stand the way he stood. Now I understand. Forty means every choice, every fall, and every hand that picked you back up. He was my first mentor. He still is. Everything I know about staying standing, I learned from him. Today it's my turn. And life, in its own way, decided to make it special: I get to spend my birthday on a court, at the US Open, doing the only thing I've ever wanted to do since I was that little boy. So thank you, life. For the wins and the injuries. For the doubts that made me work. For the people who stayed when it was quiet. Nothing to prove today. Just a lot to be grateful for, and one more match to leave everything on. 40, and still running. ❤️”