Gasquet: 'The greatest tournament in the world'

Richard, it may seem an obvious question, but why have you chosen to end your career at Roland-Garros?

Richard Gasquet: As a French player, it’s simply the greatest tournament in the world. It’s a Grand Slam, of course, but I feel like this tournament is above all the others, ten times above, light years above all the others. It just seems right to end my career here at Roland. When I made the decision to call it a day in October 2024, when I felt as if the time had come, I straight away thought of Roland-Garros.

What is your first memory from Roland-Garros?

The video tapes my parents gave me when I was 6 or 7. I remember the ‘91 tournament, and the ‘92 tournament with the run from Henri Leconte [to the semi-final]. I was a kid and just watched them on loop. Then, when I was around 8, 10 years old, I watched the tournement on TV with my mates at my club in Sérignan.

When was your first time at Roland-Garros?

I first came to watch aged 12 or 13 with my dad [Francis, his first coach] to see Marcelo Rios [former world No. 1] on centre court. I played here too, at quite a young age, first on the indoor courts at the National Training Centre in the Reebok Challenge, and then at the U-14 French championships, on Court No. 2.

What is your favourite part of the grounds?

Mostly it’s the places that don’t exist any more that mean the most to me. Especially the old National Training Centre and its dorms. We used to live there, so it has a special place in our hearts. And Gate 13. I got fan mail, and I’d go with my mum to pick it up, and at first, I’d write back (smiles). There’s also the vinyl sports hall, underneath the old Court No. 1, where I played football with my mates. All that is gone now, but it played a huge part in my teenage years. Special memories. The grounds have been modernised, I think it’s amazing, even without all that! The Suzanne-Lenglen for example is a court I adore. There isn’t a bit of these grounds. I don’t know.

And what are your fondest sporting memories? You’re going to play your 22nd and final Roland-Garros, that’s quite a few matches...

My first time here, that was incredible, obviously. Even now, that’s still a really special memory. It was in 2002, I was nearly 16. I used to watch the tournament on the TV, and then, just like that, or so it felt, I was on the Suzanne-Lenglen opposite Albert Costa, who won the tournament that year...It was pretty crazy. I took him to four sets, so I didn’t do too badly. I also won the junior event that year, but the juniors never seemed that important.

You lifted a trophy twice at Roland-Garros, in the juniors and the mixed doubles with Tatiana Golovin in 2004…

I won two titles at Roland-Garros, but not the ones that matter (laughs). Perhaps I’ll win the Legends Trophy one day, so I’ll have three useless titles (smiles). No, seriously, my most special time was my first time. My best year came in 2016, when I played the quarter-finals against Andy Murray. I saw myself going far that year. Stan Wawrinka reached the semis, he was a great player, but not a patch on Nadal. I won the first set, lost the second in a tie break. And then I let things slip a bit. It’s a shame but I have no regrets. I got to the last 16 quite a few times [five]. The years when I was playing my best tennis, I came up against the top players – three times against Nadal, twice against Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka… Only once did I really miss my opportunity, in 2007, when I ended the year ranked world No.7 [losing in the second round against Belgium’s Kristof Vliegen].

Do you regret being part of this extraordinary generation of champions?

A bit...I think there was perhaps a chance to do something amazing before this era, between 1998 and 2005, I think the bar wasn’t so high back then. Juan Martin Del Potro, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic managed to win a Grand Slam since the rise of the Big Four [Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray], but it was tough to make your mark. It was brutal. But it has been an incredible era, the golden age of tennis. There were the Big Four and four top players from France [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Gaël Monfils and himself]. I think the public enjoyed that.

What do you think about Rafael Nadal’s 14 wins?

Fourteen wins. Fourteen...when you’ve got six like Björn Borg, that’s already incredible, but 14, it’s just unbelievable. And some years, he made it look so easy. His game, his understanding of clay, his power, his touch, he was...too good. Simply too good. He was like a steamroller. In the beginning, when I came up against him at Roland-Garros in 2005, I wasn’t intimidated by him at all. I was close to beating him just a few weeks earlier, in Monte-Carlo. But at Roland, he won in straight sets. Then, later on, I just felt powerless against him. Yeah, it was tough. Perhaps sometime in the future, like in 2045, there’ll be another player better than Nadal on clay. Who knows, but it seems unlikely.

How would you describe the atmosphere you experienced at Roland-Garros and how did you prepare for the tournament?

You get a feel for the genuine fans, the tennis lovers, those who really follow the sport. It’s incredible, the fervour, the support you get. The first two or three years were a bit hard. I was young. I was perhaps a bit tense. Then I felt more relaxed and I was happy to play at Roland-Garros. These past four or five years, I felt the public was really supportive of me. That really moved me. It still moves me. That’s another reason I want to end things here at Roland-Garros. I want to bow out in front of people who are happy to be in the stands, just like I’m happy to be out on court.

How do you see things going at your last Roland-Garros? Are you a bit nervous?

First and foremost, I hope to play well. I didn’t really feel at ease at my last Rolex Paris Masters. I want to experience some memorable moments. And yes, I am nervous about that last ball...I’ve been a top-100 player for almost half my life. That “unravelling of identity” may well occur. I’m going to wake up the next morning and I won’t have training. No tournament to prepare for. It’s going to be very odd. It already felt strange when Jo [Tsonga] and Nadal retired. But that’s the life of a professional sports person.

What will you miss?

The emotions, the public, the show courts. There aren’t many jobs in this world where you’re quite so lucky. What I won’t miss is the pressure, the feeling after a loss, the pain...

What do you want people to remember from your time at Roland-Garros?

I hope I made them feel something. That that’s what they take away. Tennis is all about the show the players put on, the emotions they arouse for the fans and the people watching on TV.

Your backhand is nigh on perfect. Is that your favourite shot to play at Roland-Garros?

The cross-court backhand, yes! I loved making that shot. You can only really make it happen one-handed. I miss the one-handed backhand, it’s almost completely disappeared from the tour nowadays. Players hit hard, really hard, they play the ball early in a double-handed backhand, and there’s very little variety. Lots of people play that way. It makes me worry a bit about how tennis will stay interesting.

Are there any players from the new generation you enjoy watching?

I love watching Carlos Alcaraz play. He is different from the others. But the ones I enjoy watching the most are the up-and-coming French players. Arthur Fils, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, they can win some big tournaments. I believe. They have the potential to do so.

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