France, Nov. 7 -- Monfils retired last month after more than two decades on the senior ATP circuit.

The 40-year-old will take over from the former world number 12 Paul-Henri Mathieu and lead the squad into the 2027 Davis Cup, the men's international team tournament.

"Drawing on his 22 years on the professional circuit, Gael will bring all his top-level experience to the France team," the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said in a statement.

Since the format was revamped in 2022 to parade a "Final 8", France have only featured once in the latter stages.

In Mathieu's first campaign in 2024, they were eliminated in the group stage. In 2025, they reached the Final 8 quarter-finals where they went down to Belgium. In 2026, Canada dispatched ...