What Rafael Nadal did last year that shocked the whole tennis world? It was his retirement announcement, obviously. But for Richard Gasquet, the announcement was very, very strange.
Gasquet announced last year that at the 2025 French Open, he will call it quits. Just a few hours later, Nadal uploaded the video on his social media accounts to announce his retirement.
If someone had told me that in 2024, we would be announcing the same thing on the same day, I certainly wouldn’t have believed it. My destiny is somewhat linked to him. I’ve known him forever. We all know the player he was, the champion he was, and the person he was. He’s an incredible person, but in any case, the probability of us announcing the same thing on the same day was low. It was strange for me, but I think the nod is rather nice. It’s still quite funny.
Gasquet’s destiny, indeed links with Nadal. Nadal turned pro in 2001 and the next year, Gasquet did. Gasquet, known as the ‘little Mozart of French tennis’ and was tipped to win Grand Slam trophies, could never go past the semifinals of a Major event.
The 16-time ATP titlist had met the 22-time Grand Slam champion 18 times and never was successful in beating the Spaniard. They last faced each other in the third round of the 2022 US Open.
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