Paul Rouget, Media365: published on Monday December 16, 2024 at 7:06 p.m.
Beaten 18 times by Rafael Nadal in as many matches, Richard Gasquet, who will soon join the retired Spaniard, has never beaten him and has “a huge regret”.
It amused him a lot, even if his announcement was inevitably overshadowed by that of Rafael Nadal, which occurred a few hours later. Last Thursday, October 10, Richard Gasquet formalized his retirement, after the next Roland-Garros, before the Spaniard in turn announced that he was stopping, after the final phase of the Davis Cup.
A retirement now effective for “Rafa”, whom “Richie” only beat once, at Petits As, before losing 18 times in as many professional matches. “It’s horrible,” he admitted in RMC’s Super Moscato Show. “I’m not going to sell you a fake thing by telling you that it’s a pleasure. It’s a huge regret for me not to having beaten him. There he is gone so I won’t beat him again.”
“I wasn’t particularly afraid”
Before sweeping away any mental blockages facing the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 in Paris. A master of clay that Gasquet had shaken in 2005 in Monte-Carlo, where, then aged 18, he lost against Nadal in the last four after taking out Roger Federer in the previous round.
“I knew him from a young age, I wasn’t particularly afraid. I beat him at 13. I thought I could beat him in Monaco. Afterwards I had difficulty, he progressed, there is no of doubt. It became difficult when you’re athletic and you’ve never beaten a guy, it hurts,” he admits again.
The Héraultais also mentioned Nadal’s great rival, Novak Djokovic, whom he beat once in 14 confrontations, during the 2007 Masters. A record holder for major titles (24) who he clearly sees winning. a new one… “I tell myself that it’s possible. I don’t know if it existed, at 37 years old, to be so strong in a sport. To be in the top 3 in the world and to think that he has the possibility of winning a Grand Slam, it’s unique, it’s incredible”, he judges, concluding by mentioning the arrival of Andy Murray as coach of the Serbian. , who “will motivate him. He’s such a champion that he needs things like that.”
