French tennis veteran Gael Monfils expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of sports legends Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James by competing into his 40s, as he outlined plans for upcoming tournaments at Wimbledon, Montreal and the U.S. Open before concluding his career at home during the Paris Masters.
The tennis player, who will celebrate his 40th birthday in September, said his emotional goodbye to Roland Garros following a first-round defeat to fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston on Monday, with scores of 6-2 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-0. He departed the court to thunderous applause from fans honoring his two-decade professional journey.
Monfils plans to conclude his playing career at season’s end as he works to maintain his physical condition through his 40s.
“Why do I want to get to the States? Because I want to play until 40. My wish is to be an athlete that plays until 40 years old,” Monfils said.
“Like Stan (Wawrinka), LeBron, Cristiano, (Patrice) Evra, like all of the athletes who have managed to continue their sport until the age of 40.
“That’s what I want to do. You know that whatever happens this summer, I’m locked in to train.”
The player, who achieved a career-high ranking of world number six and has found particular success on clay courts, noted that competing on the clay surface has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
He intends to request a wildcard entry for the U.S. Open while also scheduling appearances at Wimbledon and Montreal.
“Hopefully Wimbledon. Then need to decide if we go to Washington or not,” he said.
“I think we will ask Montreal, hopefully. I want to say goodbye to Montreal. Obviously I will ask the French Federation to have the U.S. Open wildcard. Hopefully I will have this one.
“Asia is a bit blurry, to be honest. Then the end of the year, I can tell you I will play Lyon, the new tournament. Nicolas (his agent) wants me to play Vienna, and then hopefully, Paris.”
Throughout his career, the 13-time ATP champion advanced to the French Open semi-finals in 2008 and contributed significantly to France’s Davis Cup campaigns in 2010 and 2014.
