Guest of Bartoli Time this Sunday, Richard Gasquet spoke about the end of his career. The 37-year-old tennis player could see himself playing Roland-Garros in 2025 if his body follows him. In any case, the desire is there.
At almost 38 years old (he will be on June 18), Richard Gasquet still experiences the same pleasure in entering the court, having just passed the symbolic mark of 1000 career matches. Currently in Rome to compete in the last Masters 1000 on clay, the Frenchman is keeping a visual eye on Roland-Garros, which begins on May 26 at Porte d’Auteuil.
If he has never done better than a quarter-final in Paris (eliminated by Andy Murray in 2016), Gasquet wants to take advantage of every moment in front of the French public, especially as the end of his career draws near. From there to thinking that this 2024 edition will be its last? “You never know what could happen. It could be, maybe not, there’s a chance it could be. There’s also Bercy at the end of the season, I haven’t stopped the decision I would like to do Roland-Garros next year but it is far from being done,” he confided in the Bartoli Time show this Sunday on RMC.
Happy to play “at this level”
If age advances, the passion remains intact, even if the physique “is not the same as at the time”. “When you’re 25 and 37, it’s totally different. The adrenaline of playing a new Roland-Garros in three weeks, finding yourself at Wimbledon and the US Open, it still makes you dream even if I played them about twenty times as long as I can do it, I’ll always do it. Obviously, I don’t have the same level, but I’m happy to play at this level at almost 38 years old. That’s what guides me.”
Aware that “the end date is getting closer”, Richard Gasquet has “no date in mind” to announce the end of his career. “I know it’s bound to get closer very quickly.” Professional since 2002, the Frenchman has won 16 singles titles, including three on grass and three on clay. The last one dates back to Auckland in January 2023.