Monfils ‘almost there’ for centennial opportunity at Paris 2024

For a man who has played professional tennis for over two decades, Gael Monfils could conceivably view each new tournament as just another stop on his eventful, crowd-pleasing tennis journey.

But with the looming prospect of the tennis event at Paris 2024 at the end of July - an Olympic Games, on clay, at home, at Roland Garros - he knows better than anyone how special the occasion could be. 

“It would be an incredible privilege [to take part],” said Monfils after motoring past Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the opening round of his home Grand Slam on Monday.

“It would be my fifth Olympic Games and the fourth that I would play, because I was injured in London. I don't think there are that many players who have played five Olympic Games. That's a lot.

“I was injured in London, so only the fourth that I would actually play.”

Monfils may be 37 and hardly in the form of his life (he entered Roland Garros on a three-match losing streak on clay), but a Games on home soil represents an entirely unique opportunity for the world No. 37.

For one, it offers Monfils the potential to better his Olympic performances of the past and shoot for a medal – he fell in close quarter-final encounters at both Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016 (to Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori, respectively).

Never mind the unique feeling of playing at a re-vamped Roland Garros, the format being three-sets rather than five also levels the playing field. So too, for French players, does the simple fact of playing on such a special stage at home.

“[The] Olympic Games haven't been held in France in 100 years, so it is a centennial opportunity,” said Monfils. “To play Roland Garros in best-of-three sets, that's something. It's different. It would be really great.

“[I wanted] to give myself an objective [of playing at Paris 2024]. I am almost there, so now I'm just crossing my fingers.”