French tennis player wants to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James

Gael Monfils wants to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James and act until he is 40. The Frenchman hopes to compete in Wimbledon, Montreal and the US Open before ending his career on home soil at the Paris Masters.

About to turn 40 in September, Monfils said goodbye to Roland Garros this Monday (25) after being defeated by compatriot Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 and 6-0 in the first round. Leaving the court to a standing ovation, the Frenchman celebrated a two-decade career on the circuit.

The former world number six confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season, as he tries to manage the physical strain to remain competitive until he is 40.

"Why do I want to go to the United States? Because I want to play until I'm 40. My desire is to be an athlete who competes until I'm 40," said Monfils.

"Like Stan (Wawrinka), LeBron, Cristiano, (Patrice) Evra and so many athletes who managed to prolong their careers to this age. That's what I want to do. Regardless of what happens this summer, I'm fully committed to training."

Owning some of his best results on clay, Monfils recognized that the surface has become more demanding in recent years.

The Frenchman hopes to receive an invitation to compete in the US Open and also plans to play Wimbledon and the Montreal tournament.

"I hope to play Wimbledon. Then we need to decide whether we will go to Washington or not," he said.

"I think we're going to ask for an invitation to Montreal. I want to say goodbye to Montreal. Obviously, I'm going to ask the French Federation for a wildcard to the US Open. I hope I can get it."

"About the Asian tour, everything is still a bit undefined. At the end of the year, I can say that I will play in Lyon, the new tournament. Nicolas (his agent) wants me to play in Vienna and then I hope to finish in Paris."

Winner of 13 ATP titles, Monfils reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros in 2008 and was an important part of France's Davis Cup campaigns in 2010 and 2014.

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Source: CNN