
Gasquet hangs up racket, eyes other sports without fear of injury
Former world number seven Gasquet, who lifted 16 singles titles and the men's doubles bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, announced that he would call time on his long career after his home Grand Slam.
He went out after a 6-3 6-0 6-4 defeat by Sinner on Court Philippe Chatrier but it was not long before he began planning his immediate future.
"My trainer is sitting here, so we'll talk about that. We're going to look at football. I'm interested in that," Gasquet told reporters in French.
"I haven't kicked a ball in 10 years because I'm afraid of getting hurt. This evening I'm happy to be able to tell myself that I'm finally going to be able to play football again and perhaps golf and padel again.
"It's good to stop because I've given everything to tennis over the last few years so I didn't get silly injuries. Now I'm saying to myself that we're going to be ... able to organise other sporting events, and that's great."
Gasquet, who turned professional in 2002 when Sinner was still in his crib, said it felt strange that his career was over but was thankful to go out on the biggest stage against the world's best player by ranking.
"I haven't really taken it all in yet. I'm happy to finish at practically 39," he added.
"I couldn't have dreamt of a better end, because you never know what could happen in your last tournament. It's not always easy everywhere. To finish today on Chatrier against the world number one, it's a wonderful end for me.
"I'm very happy with what I was able to do for this event."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Marseille put Rabiot, Rowe on transfer list after alleged dressing room altercation
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Rennes v Olympique Marseille - Roazhon Park, Rennes, France - August 15, 2025 Olympique Marseille's Adrien Rabiot during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo (Reuters) -France midfielder Adrien Rabiot and English winger Jonathan Rowe have been placed on the transfer list by Olympique de Marseille due to "unacceptable behaviour" in the dressing room after last week's Ligue 1 loss at Stade Rennais, the club said on Tuesday. Reports in French media said the two players had an altercation in the dressing room after Friday's 1-0 loss at Rennes, despite the hosts playing most of the game with 10 men. "This decision was taken due to unacceptable behaviour in the dressing room after the match against Stade Rennais FC, in agreement with the technical staff and in accordance with the club's internal code of conduct," Marseille said in a statement. Both Rabiot and Rowe arrived at Marseille last year and played regularly as the club finished second in Ligue 1. "The decision was communicated to the two players by the club on Monday," Marseille added. (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Doubles veterans trump singles stars in early mixed matches
Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 19, 2025 Italy's Sara Errani and Italy's Andrea Vavassori react during their round of 16 mixed doubles match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina REUTERS/Kylie Cooper NEW YORK (Reuters) -Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom in the early action at the U.S. Open's reimagined mixed doubles competition on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and a crop of new ticketholders. Defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 U.S. Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2. The Italians had earned wild card entries. Twice Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti beat two-times U.S. Open singles champion Naomi Osaka and 2016 men's semi-finalist Gael Monfils 5-3 4-2. The year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. This year's format saw eight entries based on the combined singles rankings of players and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming but succeeded in bringing a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. "The tactics in doubles are very important. They are amazing players, we all know that, but in doubles I think also the combination of the two players, we know each other so well, we are playing a lot of tournaments together," said Vavassori. "We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best." 'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the U.S. Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. "We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here." That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw. (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by Andrew Hofstetter and Dan Fastenberg in New York and Trevor Stynes in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Athletics-Bekh-Romanchuk given four-year ban after testing positive for testosterone, AIU says
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Athletics - Women's Triple Jump Final - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - August 03, 2024. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine in action. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo (Reuters) -The Athletics Integrity Unit has suspended Ukrainian athlete Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk for four years after she tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition urine sample collected in December 2024, the AIU said on Tuesday. Bekh-Romanchuk, who has won silver in long jump and triple jump in the world championships, denied taking testosterone but could not explain the presence of metabolites of testosterone in the sample, the AIU said in a statement. The 30-year-old, who won gold in triple jump in the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 European Games, said she strongly disagreed with the AIU's decision, adding that she was taking a break from athletics to focus on her family and health. "I refused to sign any documents that required me to admit my guilt because I am an honest person and my humanity and dignity are important to me," Bekh-Romanchuk posted on Instagram. "Today, I have to make a difficult choice. I can no longer fight on two fronts — for my good name before the Athletics Integrity Unit and for my future in my personal life. "It is incredibly exhausting, especially emotionally, and it affects my health... that is why I have decided to take a break to focus on my family and my own health." Bekh-Romanchuk's period of ineligibility commenced on May 13, the day she was provisionally suspended, the AIU said. (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)