By Scoop Malinowski
Jan Michael Gambill once said players who don’t win Grand Slams are forgotten after they retire. And that may well the the case for Richard Gasquet, who retired after losing his second round match to Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros.
Gasquet was a different player and personality though, the kind of figure who everybody respects and enjoyed watching play.
Novak Djokovic is the ultimate champion. Rafael Nadal the ultimate competitive machine. Roger Federer was the symbol of tennis artistry/perfection …until Nadal/Djokovic came along and knocked him off. Richard Gasquet has his own distinction. He was the most pure total tennis player I ever saw. No nonsense, no BS, no mind games, no fake injury drama…no trickery, no arguments with officials or opponents, just 100 percent total love for playing the game and trying his best in every match.
I think Gasquet was born into the wrong tennis era, he probably would have fit in better with Tilden, Lacoste, Budge, von Cramm when tennis was more about the game and not marketing, showtime, business and glamour.
Everybody talks about his elegant striking backhand but the lasting image I have of Gasquet is how he dealt with and overcame the enormous pressure put on his shoulders at age nine when he was on the cover of Tenis Magazine with a headline, “Is Gasquet The Champion France Is Waiting For?”
Jan Silva, Monique Viele, Gaby Price, Al Parker, Billy Martin, were some other notable names who were tabbed for greatness way too early and they fizzled out because of the high expectations. But somehow the nine year old Gasquet still achieved a remarkable nearly 25 year ATP career despite the ridiculous pressure since age nine. He was famous too soon and had a huge X on his back already before he was even a teenager. But he kept on playing and loving the game. Nothing could break his love for playing tennis.
I don’t think Gasquet ever had the drive to be the best. The drive was to play with the best.
He didn’t want to be famous or popular, he just wanted to play the game.
His pal Gael Monfils said in 2012 Gasquet was not comfortable playing in big full stadiums and he didn’t like opponents showing emotion. He just wanted to play, on the big court or on the small outer courts, it didn’t matter. He just loved to play.
He played until age 38. But there’s no chance he will put the racquets down forever like Byron Black did after he quit.
I have two standout memories of Gasquet. Waiting to take a practice court on the side, with Novak Djokovic at Miami Open Crandon Park about 2012. Djokovic was doing his warmup stretching routines. Gasquet just said on the chair, leg crossed, watching the two players finish.
Also at Miami Open Crandon Park on the Sunday afternoon before qualies started, Gasquet was there watching Marion Bartoli practice. Like he didn’t have anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon than watch Marion Bartoli practice.
There will never be another Richard Gasquet.
Head · Le Coq Sportif · Richard Gasquet · Roland Garros
Steve · May 31, 2025 at 3:21 pm
So when is our FACING GASQUET book coming out? I’ll take a signed copy. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · May 31, 2025 at 3:26 pm
That would be a very interesting book for sure and if I had the time and staff to help do it I would. Who knows, you never know. At one point I never expected to do a book on Rios, LeRoy Neiman or Behn Wilson or Marat Safin or Vilas but I did.