Richard Gasquet bids an emotional goodbye to Paris Masters on his farewell tour after losing in the opening round
Richard Gasquet has joined Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem in the retirement bandwagon this year.
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Richard Gasquet (via X)
Richard Gasquet has bid farewell to the Paris Masters as part of his retirement journey. The Frenchman lost to Zizou Bergs in the opening round at Bercy, 6-3, 6-4.
After the match, a special ceremony was held to celebrate Gasquet’s career. The right-hander reminisced about his early days at the Paris Masters and shared memories of how his career unfolded.
We would like this moment to never come, we would like to play tennis all our lives. It’s an exceptional sport. I had the chance to play here in 2003 and today it’s 2024, so it’s definitely been a few seasons. I want to thank the public, they have always been extraordinary with me, from start to finish. This great adventure was possible thanks to you, you have given me extraordinary sensations all my life. Thank you very much.
Richard Gasquet in the post-match interview at Paris Masters
Gasquet has experienced many highs and lows throughout his career. His greatest moments include reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2007 and 2015, as well as making it to the final four at the 2013 US Open.
Gasquet now joins an elite list of players who have recently bid farewell to the sport, including Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, and Rafael Nadal. He will end his career and next year’s Roland Garros event.
Richard Gasquet backs Carlos Alcaraz to become the new ‘Roger Federer’
French tennis star Richard Gasquet has backed Carlos Alcaraz to reach the same level as Swiss tennis great Roger Federer. Alcaraz has made impressive strides over the past three seasons, winning four Grand Slam titles.
We often said, me first, 25 years ago: ‘Tennis will no longer be the same without Agassi, without Sampras, without Kuerten. Then we had Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, an extraordinary era. Alcaraz is no mean feat. When I see him play, when I see his attitude, his level of play, it’s crazy. I tell myself that this player will be a new Federer and Nadal, I have no doubts.‘
Richard Gasquet said in interviews with different media houses
Gasquet believes that Alcaraz and Sinner have the potential to define a new era, similar to what the Big Three achieved. However, the Frenchman also thinks that Alcaraz still has many years ahead to match the records set by the Big Three.
Alcaraz is the youngest male player, alongside Boris Becker, to win four Grand Slam titles, achieving this milestone at the age of 21. At that age, both Federer and Novak Djokovic had only one Grand Slam title each.
In addition, Alcaraz has reached the milestone of finishing as Year-End No. 1, a feat Federer achieved five times. This year, however, he missed out on the Year-End No. 1 ranking to Sinner.
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Fahad Hamid
(718 Articles Published)