“If my daughter can travel with me, I’ll play as long as I want” – Monfils hopes to play till he’s 40

The Frenchman turned 37 on September 1 and is not ready to hang up his racquets just yet

Gael Monfils at the 2023 US Open

September 5, 2023

French tennis star Gael Monfils has revealed that he definitely wants to play till the Paris Olympics next year and wishes to play till the age of 40, especially if his daughter, Skai, can travel on the road with him.

Monfils turned 37 years old on September 1, and has endured a difficult time over the past two seasons with a foot and then wrist injury keeping him away for a majority of that time.

“Whatever happens, I want to play until the Olympic Games in 2024 and after that, the real goal would be to be able to play until I’m 40. To be able to compete until I’m 40,” Monfils said while speaking with countryman Benoit Paire in the latest edition of UTS‘s All on the Table – which comes out on Tuesday.

“The foot injury last year, it calmed me down” – Monfils

Gael Monfils, Elina Svitolina at PSG vs Lyon in Parc des Princes, Paris, France, on September 19, 2021 Image Credit: Lionel Urman / Panoramic

The Frenchman lost to Andrey Rublev last week in the second round of the US Open. Monfils and his wife, WTA pro Elina Svitolina, both took part in the US swing without their daughter Skai and the Frenchman admitted it would be easier for him to play longer if his daughter travels on the road with him once she gets a little older.

“I wish I would (retire late). My life has changed. First, I had a daughter. And second, the injury I had… the foot injury. It calmed me down, you see. I was about to feel well again when I had the wrist. At the end of the day, you remember the moments you had when you were out. I lived precious moments I couldn’t imagine I would live. They lead you to reflect on yourself…

“You think about other things you can do after tennis. But you see, the thing is that when you are deep into your life on tour, you don’t really feel the effort. When you stop for months, Everything is much harder. Mentally… So hard. You know, my daughter… She lives her best moments now. I feel like when she will be a little older, it will be better for me if she can travel with me. If that’s the case, maybe I’ll play as long as I want. “

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