Gael Monfils revealed he has thoughts of maybe retiring next season, but could play for a little while longer if his body allows him to.
All players go through injuries at some point in their career, but Monfils may be one of the unluckiest. The Frenchman has been plagued by a whole catalogue of injuries throughout his career, recently having to take four months off for surgery on a problematic heel issue late last year.
It wasn't until the French Open this year that Monfils was able to win an ATP tour-level match, before unfortunately pulling out of the next match with a right wrist problem. He later withdrew from the Winston-Salem Open, but at the US Open, all seemed to be good.
Monfils said in a recent conversation with Benoit Paire at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown of his eagerness to continue to try and play until the 2024 Paris Olympics. He followed that up by saying that if the body stays in good condition he would like to play up until he is 40.
"Whatever happens my will is to play until the next Olympic Games in 2024. After that, I would like to play until I'm 40. I would like to be able to compete well until I'm 40."
Monfils' career has been one of unfulfilled promise, as a junior he was often regarded as a future Grand Slam champion in singles. Maybe he feels there is some unfinished business for him on a tennis court, and that maybe those sporadic high moments could still be around the corner for him.
As much as the competitive fire may still burn for the Frenchman, he is now in a stage of his life where tennis isn't necessarily everything to him. The victories are sweet, but he now has a wife and a young daughter. In an interview in Toronto, Monfils talked of his love of being at home with his family.
"It is the next chapter. It's tomorrow, I feel. I feel like my team, my wife, everybody wants me to keep playing. But to be honest, when I spend time at my home with my daughter, this is it. To be honest, this is it. It's been 20 years I'm doing that, so this is it for me."
Monfils may be flirting with the idea of drawing the curtain on his tennis career, but one thing that is for certain when it comes to Monfils is to expect the unexpected.
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