Showman, entertainer, crowd favorite. Gael Monfils is mostly described like this or at least something like that. But the Frenchman also has some sporting plans - the 33-year-old emphasized in an interview with Sport360 .

"I want to get into some areas I've never been in. It would be incredible if I could reach the top five next season," said the Frenchman. To date, Monfils has ranked sixth as a career high - "La Monf" achieved this ranking in 2016.

Monfils also finished last season in the top ten of the ATP charts. After a tournament win in Rotterdam and the quarter-finals at the US Open , the Frenchman narrowly missed the ATP Finals, but Monfils is still tenth before the new season begins.

Monfils gets the finishing touches in Abu Dhabi

But the 33-year-old is not satisfied with that. "I'm looking forward to working. I've already started and made a few changes in the off-season to be even stronger next year," said Monfils.

From Thursday onwards, the Frenchman's invitation tournament in Abu Dhabi is about getting the finishing touches to the new season. Monfils is not at all afraid that the break after a busy preseason may be too short: "It is not really my plan to have a break." It will be interesting to see how successful the 33-year-old will be with this tactic.