Richard Gasquet
| Gasquet at 2005 Montreal Masters | |
| Country (sports) | France |
|---|---|
| Residence | Neuchatel, Switzerland |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Turned pro | 2002 |
| Plays | Right |
| Prize money | $1,097,572 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 51-48 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | 12 (September 12, 2005) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1st (2003, 2004, 2005) |
| French Open | 3rd (2005) |
| Wimbledon | 4th (2005) |
| US Open | 4th (2005) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 5-10 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | 209 (April 3, 2006) |
Richard Gasquet (born 18 June, 1986) is a French tennis player.
Career
Gasquet was born in Béziers (Languedoc-Roussillon). He made his debut on the ATP tour in April, 2002, at the Tennis Masters Series tournament at Monte Carlo where he received a wild card into qualifying and became the youngest player ever to qualify for a Tennis Masters event. At 15 years, 10 months, he defeated Argentina's Franco Squillari in the first round of that tournament to become the youngest player to win a tour-level main draw match since Tommy Ho at Rye Brook in 1988.
He made his Grand Slam tournament debut at the 2002 French Open at the age of 15 years, 11 months, nine days. He was the second-youngest player ever to compete in the main draw there. Gasquet finished 2002 as the no. 1 junior in the world and was named World Junior Champion, having won the junior titles at the French Open and the US Open. He was also the youngest player to finish in year-end ATP top 200.
Gasquet finished 2003 as the youngest player to finish a year inside the ATP top 100.
In 2004, Gasquet reached his first ATP tournament final at Metz. He also won the mixed doubles trophy at the French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin.
In April, 2005, Gasquet reached the semifinals of the Masters Series tournament at Monte Carlo, handing world number one Roger Federer a shock quarterfinal defeat in the process. As a result, he became the youngest French player ever to defeat a world number one.
As a child, Gasquet used to cheer for Andre Agassi and even kept a picture of Agassi on his wall. Fresh off of a huge win over Roger Federer and having just demolished Paradorn Srichaphan in straight sets, it must have been nerves that caused the rising teen to lose against Agassi 6-2 6-3 at Rome's Masters tennis tournament.
A month after he had reached the semifinal of the Monte Carlo Masters, he reached the final of the Hamburg Masters, where he was defeated by Roger Federer.
On June 18, 2005, his 19th birthday, he won his first ATP title, defeating Max Mirnyi in the final of the grass court tournament at Nottingham, England.
Gasquet is noted for his fine one-handed backhand and for his astounding shot-making ability. He is based in Paris, and is coached by Erick Deblicker. In his one-handed backhand, Gasquet has a high take back, utilising gravity, coils up (very low to the ground), and slowly unwinds, and unleashes one of the most beautiful and lethal shots seen these days in tennis.
ATP Tour titles (2)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (2) |
Singles (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 19 June, 2005 | Nottingham, England | Grass | Max Mirnyi (Belarus) | 6-2 6-3 |
| 2. | 24 June, 2006 | Nottingham, England | Grass | Jonas Björkman (Sweden) | 6-4 6-3 |
Singles finalist (2)
- 2004: Metz (lost to Jerome Haehnel)
- 2005: Hamburg AMS (lost to Roger Federer)
External links
- Richard Gasquet's ATP Profile
- Richard Gasquet's ITF Junior profile
- All information about Richard Gasquet
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