The rest after the ad
This is a big page turning for the sports division of France Télévision. Eight years after the retirement of Gérard Holtz, he’s another figure in sports commentary of the public service who is about to bow out: the indescribable Nelson Monfort. Arriving on public service in 1987 to comment on the final of the Cap d’Agde Women’s Trophy, he carried out his very first interview, that of the tenniswoman Martina Navrátilová. Since then, Nelson Monfort has done everything but his comments on figure skating competitions, alongside Philippe Candeloro, will undoubtedly remain in the collective memory.
This Sunday June 9, 2024 was a big day for Nelson Monfort. After thirty years spent commentating on Roland-Garros, the 71-year-old journalist secured his final final and his last day on the Philippe-Chatrier court. He interviewed for the last time the winner of this 2024 edition the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz who beat the German Alexander Zverev. But in reality, the presidency of France Télévision decided to grant a reprieve to its famous commentator, who wanted more than anything to participate in the system of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The ultimate great gift from France Télé
Indeed, originally, Nelson Monfort should have retired in March 2023. But Delphine Ernotte and Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, bosses of the public service, accepted that Nelson Monfort continue his career for eighteen months, in order to be able to leave his functions at the end of the Paris 2024 Olympics. If he commented there officially his last Roland-Garros, Nelson Monfort does not rule out the possibility of returning as a freelancer comment on the next fortnights. Above all, he is not quite finished with France Télé yet. He will be found all summer alongside all the France Télé sports commentators to cover athletics, figure skating and even tennis events. Alongside him, we can cite in particular Laurent Luyatwho recently had to face the death of his mother, Mathieu Lartotwho has been recovering for several months from her knee amputation, or Léa Salamé, who will host every evening What Gamesspecial version of his show What an era which will return to the journey of our French athletes, and which she was initially to co-present with Michel Drucker.
A course often mocked, but which makes people envious
Often mocked, Nelson Monfort remains no less one of the most emblematic figures sports commentary. The Franco-American, who studied at the IEP in Paris, is polyglot, and speaks no less than five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and German. After having cut his teeth in numerous newspapers and magazines, such as Le FigaroTHE JDD or Tennis Magazine, he joined Europe 1 in 1986 to comment on golf. On France Télévisions, in a 37-year career, he will simultaneously comment on the competitions of golf, tennis, athletics, figure skating, cycling, and better yet, the Olympic Games of Turin 2006 and Beijing 2008, alongside Daniel Bilalian. More recently, Nelson Monfort commented on the first television broadcast of the Tour de France Femmes, with Laurent Jalabert.