May 26 (Reuters) – Gael Monfils is determined to emulate the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James by playing into his 40s and hopes to play at Wimbledon, Montreal and the U.S. Open before bringing down the curtain on his career on home soil at the Paris Masters.
The Frenchman, who turns 40 in September, bade a fond farewell to Roland Garros after going down 6-2 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-0 to compatriot Hugo Gaston in the first round on Monday, walking off to a standing ovation that celebrated a career that spanned two decades.
Monfils will retire at the end of the season as he seeks to manage his body into 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 former world number six, who has enjoyed some of his best results on clay, acknowledged that the surface has become more challenging in recent years.
While he hopes to secure a wildcard for the U.S. Open, he also plans to play 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.”
The 13-time ATP title winner reached the French Open semi-finals in 2008 and was a key part of France’s Davis Cup runs in 2010 and 2014.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
