Chile’s top tennis player ends 2011 with a big win

González rejects retirement claims and says he intends on playing the Latin American tour.

Chile’s star tennis player Fernando González, currently ranked 298 in the world, thanked his local fan base after beating France’s top tennis player Gael Monfils, ranked 16, in three sets at a friendly match on Tuesday in Santiago. González won by 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4.

After the match, González expressed his appreciation for the public’s support during a year full of injuries and “very difficult moments.” González underwent hip surgery in late 2010, leaving him in recovery for months, and later suffered a torn muscle during a Davis Cup match in September.

“I have had plenty of time on a physical and personal level, and those physical and emotional rest periods have been very important to me recently,” González said, according to EFE press agency.

He also took the opportunity to reveal his plans for the future, after recent reports by the local press suggesting his desire to retire in the immediate future. “Depending on how I feel week to week, I will be choosing my next matches.”

González is scheduled to begin his 2012 season in the ATP World Tour in Auckland and the Australian Open, however he has yet to confirm whether he will attend.

González did express his interest, however, in the Latin American tour. “It’s my intention (to play). I would love to do the whole tour,” he told Chilean TV station Mega before the Tuesday win.

The two-time Olympic medalist also added “it would be a great challenge to play in the Olympic Games. For me the Olympic Games are very important.” But he added, “I don’t see myself being a tennis player forever, I just want to end my career on a good note.”