Paris bids adieu to legend Gasquet

No, there were not enough to create what would have been a gargantuan upset of the No. 1 seed, Italy’s Jannik Sinner. But the moments of brilliance that we did see from the prodigious talent from Béziers, France brought back memories of the stylish prodigy who was featured on a magazine cover as a nine-year-old, and who grew to feature as the top-ranked Frenchman and winner of 16 ATP titles. 

In an emotionally charged atmosphere, fans packed the famous show court to pay tribute to the man who has won more matches than any other Frenchman in the Open era (610). 

When it was over, Gasquet gave them heartfelt words. 

"I've thought a lot about this day, you hope it never comes, but today is it,” Gasquet told the crowd in French while he was being feted by the tournament for his extraordinary career. “I can't dream of anything better than standing on this incredible court, the most beautiful court in the world."

Richard! Richard!

Chants rang out in Gasquet’s opening service game against Sinner, and he did not disappoint. An ace, followed by two tremendous backhand bullets scorched down the line for 40-0. 

That backhand. If ever there was a museum-worthy stroke, it is Gasquet’s whipsmart one-hander. He wielded his racket hand high like a matador waving his cape, then unleashed all the fury with a fierce uncoiling. 

“It’s a truly unique backhand that I’m sure a lot of the young players are trying to copy in France, and worldwide,” said Novak Djokovic, who spoke in a video montage that was presented to Gasquet during his ceremony. 

The 24-time major champion is not exaggerating. 

One of the most aesthetically pleasing backhands that men’s tennis has ever seen, Gasquet’s was elegant, artful and potent. There have been more powerful one-handers, but thanks to his distinctive French flair, none was more sublime.  

It was also versatile, and packed a mean punch. It helped the Frenchman rise to No.7 in the world and win 117 matches at the Grand Slams, which is third among all Frenchmen in the Open era.

Gasquet made his Roland-Garros debut in 2002, losing to eventual champion Albert Costa in the first round as a No.294-ranked wild card at 16 years of age. Who could have known then that he would stick around for well over two decades and become one of the leaders of an incredible generation of French talent?

He reached three Grand Slam semi-finals and played valiantly with his nation’s bleu, blanc et rouge on his back, winning the Davis Cup in 2017 and claiming an Olympic bronze medal in doubles in London in 2012.  

On Thursday, fans affectionately showered him with support from start to finish, focusing less on the result and more on celebrating the man that has given French tennis so much. 

In the end, Sinner claimed his 16th consecutive win at a major to advance to the third round, but not before he was pushed in the first and third set by the 38-year-old. The loss didn’t dilute the emotional gravity of Gasquet’s swan song. 

‘It’s your moment,” Sinner said, before giving the stage to his opponent. “Amazing career, but mostly you are an amazing person.”

An emotional Gasquet looked up at the video board along with 15,000 fans, as a message from Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and others ran.  

“Everyone talks about the talent that you possess,” Djokovic said. “And it’s truly unique.”

Having played for the love of the sport since he was a young child, Gasquet admitted he was struck by the feeling that there won't be another tournament to prepare for.

"It's a little bit weird for me," he said. "I played all my life. But it's tennis. You have to stop one day. It's a little strange, because there is no stress tomorrow. There is no recovery. There is no training. There is no [grass season]. So this is the most astonishing thing. I've got my mind just telling me that I've got to recover and rest.

"But I'm very calm about the decision to stop, and I'm very happy to stop today on this court against the No.1 in the world, the stadium, the court was full. It was good weather. I'm very happy."