Gael Monfils played his last match at Roland Garros, losing to fellow French player Hugo Gaston, but vowed to continue playing.
Published May 26, 2026
Gael Monfils is determined to follow in the footsteps of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James by playing into his 40s and hopes to play at Wimbledon, Montreal and the US Open before ending his career at the Paris Masters.
The Frenchman, who turns 40 in September, bid farewell to Roland Garros after losing 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 to celebrate his 20-year career.
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Monfils plans to retire at the end of the season as he looks to take better care of himself as he approaches his 40s.
“Why do I want to go to America? Because I want to play until I’m 40. My wish is to become an athlete who can play until I’m 40,” Monfils said.
“Like Stan (Wawrinka), LeBron, Cristiano, (Patrice) Evra, all the athletes who have managed to stay in the sport until they are 40.
“That’s what I want to do. No matter what happens this summer, I know I’ll be busy training.”
The former world number six, who achieved his best results on clay, admitted that the surfaces have become more difficult in recent years.
He hopes to earn a wild card for the U.S. Open, but also plans to play at Wimbledon and Montreal.
“Hopefully Wimbledon. Then I have to decide whether to go to Washington or not,” he said.
“I think I’ll be asking Montreal if I can. I’d like to say goodbye to Montreal. Of course I’ll be asking the French federation to give me a wild card for the U.S. Open, which I’d like to get if possible.”
“To be honest, Asia is a bit vague. And at the end of the year I can say that I will play in Lyon in the new competition. Nicolas (his agent) wants me to play in Vienna and hopefully also in Paris.”
He has won 13 ATP titles, reached the French Open semi-finals in 2008, and was a key figure in France’s Davis Cup championships in 2010 and 2014.
