ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2025

Richard Gasquet

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Richard, hello. How do you feel at Roland Garros and what are your expectations?

RICHARD GASQUET: I'm feeling, of course, it's my last tournament, so it's a bit particular, a bit emotional. But I try my best of course when I'm going on the court to try to win, so we will see what will happen. I just know I try my best to win the match and we will see what will happen.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations on a fantastic career. I just wanted to ask you about a match 20 years ago against Rafa here at Roland Garros, first time you played him here. I just wanted your memories of that match and what it was like, you're both young guys at that time, had come through together. Your memories on that match.

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, it was 20 years ago. I remember it was really hot on the court. I played him three months earlier in Monaco. It was 6-3 in the third. It was a big match.

Then I played here against him again three months later. He was different, he was much better than in Monaco. The bounce was really high. It was very tough to play. Of course, he won against me in three sets. He was just better.

When I finish the match, I remember my last coach here, I told him he will win Roland Garros for sure this year, in 2005. I wouldn't imagine he would win 13 times more, but I knew he was going to win the tournament. He was just playing unbelievable.

Q. Did it kind of surprise you playing him here just how high his level was?

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, I was a bit surprised, yeah. When I played him in Monaco, I was close, and then I played him, as I said, three months later, he was just different. He was playing much better, much, much faster on the court, the balls were bouncing incredibly high.

Yeah, I try my best on the court, but I remember he was just (indiscernible) as ever. He proved it after my match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Just to complete this question, can you tell us how it was difficult to play against Rafael Nadal here at Roland Garros on this surface but also in Philippe Chatrier? How is it difficult?

RICHARD GASQUET: Well, it's not difficult to answer when you look at his level. You know it's hard. He's one of the biggest athletes that you could ever play against in Roland Garros. He plays fast, he plays strongly, he doesn't commit errors. It's unimaginable.

But to think that he could have won 14 times. Even at the beginning of my career, I didn't think he was going to win so many times. Maybe I thought he was going to win five or six times. He was an extraordinary player, but it was hard to imagine he could have won so many times.

It's hard to say but it was one of the biggest challenges to play against Rafael Nadal. It's one of the hardest things to do in tennis. It was the ultimate challenge you could have in tennis.

Q. I just wanted to know how do you feel physically after several days of training? Do you feel pain or not anywhere, or are you 100% ready to give the public one last show?

RICHARD GASQUET: I have pain, pain in my calves for about a month now since Monaco, I've had quite a bit of pain. A bit of stress with that once or twice. I couldn't play, so I came back onto the court then I was injured again. So a lot of stress.

I'm wondering how things are going to happen. But then over the last few days I've been able to train and say that I was going to go out onto the court 100%. So it's quite a success because I wasn't completely sure of that. But I've trained a lot, and my level wasn't so bad recently.

You know, I haven't played in a month, so I have missed a lot of competition. It was hard for me but that's just the way it is.

Q. So there's a lot of French people who are playing their first Roland Garros. This has got to be your 22nd. To play a first Roland Garros, when it's your first, could be a bit of a trap sometimes. Can you tell us what traps to avoid when you're playing your first Roland Garros and if you were coaching those players what would you tell them to avoid them?

RICHARD GASQUET: Enjoy yourself as much as possible. It's such a trite thing to say but you've got to give your best, you've got to interact with the public, you have to feel that the public is behind you, is encouraging you. To be as expansive as possible and to give it all.

And you're lucky, feel how lucky you are just to play in Roland Garros, even if it's hard to go out on the court the first time. It's going to be a moment that's going to change the rest of your life, but it's incredible because you'll always remember it, the first time you played there.

Q. Roland Garros, since autumn, you told us in the L'Equipe newspaper you said it would be the last of your professional career. Now we're here. How do you feel? Are you calm?

RICHARD GASQUET: Calm? I don't know. It's hard to say. The match is always different. It's the end, maybe the last match of your career. Hard to say.

It's special, but I'm happy to do this, I'm happy to play here one last time. I'm practically 39 years old. I never thought I was going to be playing such a long time.

So I'm lucky enough to be able to do it here one last time. I know what that represents, to play in a tournament like this. So I'm going to try to enjoy it from beginning to end and give my all. It's sport. You never know what's going to happen.

I don't know if I'm calm, but in any case, I want it, and I'm going to enjoy it.

Q. So you're talking about preparing. What time do you imagine the end, or were you not trying to think about it too much? Are you looking at the good moments that you have had before? Are you trying to build it all up?

RICHARD GASQUET: No, I'm trying to be there physically and with my game, and I was trying to heal. That took a lot of time for me. I was thinking of nothing else beforehand, to be honest. Thinking of my calves, trying to heal, trying to be ready. That was the only thing I was able to think about.

Over the last few days I was trying to be competitive and to play good matches. Then what comes afterwards we'll see, but I haven't really thought about what's coming.

It's going to be my last time here. It's a little strange, of course, but I'm happy to be there anyway.

Q. We're talking a lot about 2002, but your story with Roland Garros, you also played here with 15s and 16s, you played juniors. What do you take away from those years? What's the common point between somebody who is playing Crit in 2001 when you're 15 and someone who is nearly 39?

RICHARD GASQUET: That's the luck we have. We're lucky to have the CNE, to be able to sleep here, to be able to play when you were 13, 14, 15, 16, and the leagues and all of that sort of thing. That's part of us, who we are. That's how we grew up.

It wasn't only the tournaments. It was a lot about 13s, 14s, what we were playing, the training, the practice, my friends.

So it's something that's anchored deep within me. It's part of me. Of course it's very important for a young person. It's a very important part of my life.

Q. All of these questions about Rafael, is it strange that your career is so strongly linked to him? Even at your last Roland Garros, he's coming with the ceremony. It's strange this story with you.

RICHARD GASQUET: Like there is only 15 days' difference between us in age, so there is a small sort of link, sort of like we started the same day. We have had the same sort of career. We've got the same -- we're the same age. It's very similar, very close.

And of course it's going to be stay here for his ceremony, and he deserves it. It's going to be super to see him come back here to Roland Garros.

Q. Caroline Garcia told us this morning it's her last Roland Garros. It's the end that's coming, a page that's turning. What does that inspire?

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, she was a wonderful player, fourth in the world. She had a great game. She hit really hard. She's a nice person. I don't know her really well, but I know she was a great player. I hope she's going to have a really good tournament and give her best at the end of the season.

This is a generation that's leaving, but that's sport. There's another generation up and coming, and it's going to be just as good.