It may come as a surprise to see that the veteran Frenchman finished in the Top 10 last season. Hadn’t we written off the tragic Richard G.—which is how Gasquet was referred to on the cover of France’s Tennis magazine, when he was just nine years old—years ago as a hopeless underachiever? Hadn’t injuries and inconsistency dropped him to No. 26 the year before?
But like many in his generation, Gasquet, who will turn 30 in June, has proven to be a survivor. And truthfully, when one player wins so many events, the rest of them don’t have to do all that much to maintain a decent position in the rankings. Last year, Novak Djokovic, who finished with 16,585 ranking points, was nearly six times as good as Gasquet, who finished with 2,850.
Still, Gasquet won two tournaments in 2015, finished 43–17 and recorded his biggest victory in years when he upset Stan Wawrinka in an overtime thriller in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Like David Ferrer, though, it’s hard to imagine Gasquet rising much higher in the future. He doesn’t have a powerful serve, he has never been ranked higher than No. 7 in the world and, despite the baroque beauty of his backhand, he doesn’t have a reliable point-ending shot. The expectations of reaching No. 1 in the pros, bestowed upon Gasquet when he was a junior, are long gone. And that’s OK.
Best Case Scenario
If he can win the matches he’s supposed to win, and a couple that he’s not, Gasquet should be back in the Top 10 this time next year.
Worst Case Scenario
Gasquet finished 2012 at No. 10 and 2013 at No. 9; the big drop-off to No. 26 came in 2014 when he struggled with injuries. He’s never been a player who bullies his opponents off the court, so age and physical issues could have a big effect on him.
Bottom Line
We know you won’t win the big ones, Richard G., but keep hitting that throwback backhand and we’ll be happy.
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