Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet announced on the same day, October 10, the official date on which they will officially retire from tennis. A particular coincidence between the two 38-year-olds, who have given life to one of the rivalries that has always pointed towards the Spaniard: in fact, the winner of 22 Slam titles has won 18 direct clashes out of as many matches played against the Frenchman.
The most historic and attentive fans, however, will remember how Ruchard beat the king of the red clay on two occasions: the first time at 13 years old in 1999 at Les Petits As in Tarbes, in which the Frenchman managed to win 6-4 in the third set, and the other in 2003, at the Challenger of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Since their first professional encounter, a year later in 2004, the story has changed: Rafa has always prevailed until the last confrontation, played in 2022 at the US Open (6-0, 6-1, 7-5).
The topic was brought up during an interview with RMC, with the Frenchman explaining: “When we are 50, I will call him to try to play against him again. I will stay in shape and try to beat him!” Richard also spoke of having announced his farewell to tennis on the same day as Nadal: “I was the one who said it first!”
The Frenchman, currently engaged in the qualifications of the ATP 500 in Vienna, will play his last event as a professional player at Roland Garros 2025. France will be ready to pay homage to one of the tennis players who contributed to the conquest of the Davis Cup in 2017.
🇫🇷 🇪🇸 Court N°1 – L’Effet Retro : Monte Carlo 2005, le jour où Richard Gasquet a cru battre Rafael Nadal.
👥 @ericsalliot, @AntRech et @fserra_81. pic.twitter.com/sFfIlMiqDs
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) October 17, 2024
À 38 ans, Richard Gasquet annonce dans une interview à L’Équipe, disponible dans notre édition de ce jeudi, qu’il a décidé de mettre un terme à une carrière longue de 22 ans, à Roland-Garros, en mai 2025.https://t.co/ZBGF8tlm5p pic.twitter.com/6cm6hztrLL
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) October 9, 2024