Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player who was born on June 18, 1986, in Beziers, France. Thanks to the influence of his parents, who were both tennis coaches at his local club, Richard picked up a racquet at the tender age of four, being given early lessons by his dad.
Starting young, his path on the junior tour started when he was 12. It was a part of his career that was full of success, with the then-French youngster winning both the French Open Juniors and the US Open Juniors in 2002. This created a lot of anticipation in France, with him being pipped to become world number one aged of just 15 and earning nicknames such as the ‘Mozart of tennis.’
With Mozart being very easy on the ears, Gasquet’s style does the same for the eyes. His sublime one-handed backhand, together with his tenacious attitude, had him earning fans from a very young age. Such success and making a name for himself at a young age earned him his debut on the ATP Tour in 2002, with him turning pro the same year.
After a few years of gaining confidence and results on the main circuit, the Frenchman first got a taste of silverware just three years later on the grass of the Nottingham Open. At this point in his career, Gasquet wanted to play as much as he possibly could.
The Frenchman was keen to experiment with the doubles side of the game, and his time to shine came at his home slam in 2004, where he won the mixed doubles tournament with compatriot Tatiana Golovin, crowing himself a Grand Slam champion for the first time in his career.
After a few more years on the singles circuit, getting yet more trophies under his belt, he saw his best result at a Grand Slam yet, at Wimbledon in 2007, when he reached the semifinal. This stellar run, combined with a good 2007 season, saw him propelled to a career-high ranking of number 7 in the world.
The next years saw a slight drop in form for Gasquet, but all was not lost. A resurgence in the mid-2010s arrived, which in turn saw him claim some of his best results at the Grand Slams – semifinal appearances at the US Open and Wimbledon, as well as a quarterfinal spot at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
As well as his own personal performances, his efforts contributed to a national effort for France. In 2017, Richard became the Davis Cup champion for his country, rounding up a brilliant few years.
