"Whatever happens": Gael Monfils remains optimistic of returning to Roland Garros in 2026

French veteran tennis player Gael Monfils has confirmed that he is eager to compete in the 2026 French Open. The 38-year-old featured in one of the high-intensity encounters of the second Grand Slam of the year on Thursday, where his journey came to an end as he lost to Britain’s Jack Draper in the second round with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

It was the fourth consecutive occasion where Monfils suffered a defeat in the second round at the Roland Garros. After the result, many feared that it might have been the last time the Paris-born athlete would feature in the mega-event on his home soil.

However, Monfils rejected those claims. The former world number six, speaking to the media after the match, stated that at this stage, he remains keen to return to the court in Paris next year. However, Monfils also admitted that the possibility of things changing between now and the end of the season remains there, and he will eventually make a call once the season comes to an end.

“Well, I know that I will play next year, whatever happens,” he said while speaking about his future after suffering a defeat to Draper. “Today, once again, I played a big match against the fifth-best player [in the world]. He wins Masters 1000s, and I was playing hand-in-hand with him. So I can’t say that physically I have any issues. The way I feel physically for the time being, I wouldn’t say it’s my last Roland. I think if I work, I think it will be okay. It’s more in the head. More a question of what I really want to do in my life. So it will necessarily depend on what I want to do, the sacrifices I have to make. Maybe at the end of the year, I might say, ‘No, it’s over.’ Who knows?”