Gasquet's last wish before retiring
The Frenchman, who will hang up his racket next year at Roland Garros, sets himself one last challenge in these final months of his professional career.
Richard Gasquet has limited time left. Don't get me wrong, it's the reality. The Frenchman announced a few days ago that he would end his professional career at the upcoming Roland Garros tournament, the most emblematic event held in the country where he was born. However, he still has the desire to be competitive in this final stage, even though at 38 years old, it is increasingly challenging for him to step onto a court on equal terms with opponents who are half his age. In an interview with the colleagues at CLAY, the Frenchman emphasizes where he is focusing his efforts to make headlines again.
"I want to return to the top 100, although I am aware that it is not an easy goal to achieve, but I am trying to give my best, everything I have left at this moment. I know I will retire soon, possibly at Roland Garros, so now I am trying to find pleasure in tennis. I still have fun on the court, but I need to find a way to keep winning matches and enjoy everything the circuit entails," says the player from Beziers, demonstrating that champion spirit never fades. What is fading away are his peers, people like Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, two of them already retired.
"I only have great memories when they ask me about them, they are all great friends. We were together for many seasons, many years sharing daily life, as well as memorable matches and team competitions. I have known Jo since he was a child, Gael... I played with Gilles for the first time when I was 10 years old. They are all lifelong friends of mine; when I spend time with them, I couldn't be happier," says Richard, another one of the great representatives of French tennis in the last twenty years.
HIS RIVALRY WITH NADAL
The topic that couldn't be missing in the interview was Rafa Nadal and a rivalry that was completely lopsided throughout all these years. It used to be said that the Frenchman defeated the Spaniard during their junior days, quite the opposite of what they experienced in their professional careers, where the Spaniard held nothing back in any match, repeatedly crushing the French tennis player. A painful memory that Gasquet seems to have accepted a long time ago.
"Well, the feeling is bad because I lost to him 18 times, especially when we played on clay courts. Even on hard courts, I lost; I still remember our last match at the US Open. I lost to him many times; it was really tough, his game was always very challenging for my tennis. We're talking about one of the best players in history, so of course, it was always difficult to play against him. It was always a challenge in every aspect, both in tennis, mentally, and physically," he concludes with a bitter taste. The good news is that he will never have to face him again.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El último deseo de Gasquet antes de retirarse