French tennis star Gael Monfils is determined to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James by playing into his 40s. He hopes to compete at Wimbledon, Montreal, and the US Open before ending his career on home soil at the Paris Masters.

Monfils, who turns 40 in September, bid an emotional farewell to Roland Garros after a first-round loss to compatriot Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-0 on Monday, walking off to a standing ovation celebrating his two-decade career.

The Frenchman will retire at the end of the season as he manages his aging body. “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.”

The former world No. 6, who has enjoyed his best results on clay, acknowledged the surface has become more challenging. He hopes to secure a wildcard for the US Open, and 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 US 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 semifinals in 2008 and was a key part of France’s Davis Cup runs in 2010 and 2014.

Source: www.aljazeera.com