French Open: Richard Gasquet does not regret retiring: 'I gave everything to try to be the best'
Will he go down the line? Cross-court? With a drop shot? Or maybe even a lob? Bets are on as to which shot will produce Richard Gasquet's final backhand winner. At 38, the Frenchman was preparing to play at the French Open for the last tournament of a career spanning nearly a quarter of a century. In the first round, on Monday, May 26, he was set to face his young compatriot Térence Atmane, ranked 121 st in the world, before a possible second round against Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Tennis fans will miss admiring his elegant one-handed backhand. As for Gasquet himself, he felt he had fulfilled his duty. "I could have done better in certain matches, but I gave everything to try to be the best." Speaking in April during the Monte-Carlo tournament, the native of Béziers, southern France, offered a clear assessment: He "came up against opponents stronger than myself."
As a contemporary of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, Gasquet had a front-row seat to the dominance of the trio who together have won 66 Grand Slam titles. Whenever he approached the summit, he was soundly beaten by one of these powerhouses. His three Grand Slam semifinal appearances as well as his three Masters 1,000 finals all ended in defeat against the Big Three.
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