Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Richard Gasquet

Discover the career path of Richard Gasquet, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player known for his elegant groundstrokes and one-handed backhand. He achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 7 in 2007 and has won 16 ATP singles titles with over 600 career match wins. Gasquet's best Grand Slam performances include three semi-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open. He has been a runner-up in three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. He won the mixed doubles title at the 2004 French Open with Tatiana Golovin and an Olympic bronze medal in men's doubles at the 2012 London Olympics, partnering with Julien Benneteau.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1988: Tommy Ho's Win at Rye Brook

In 1988, Tommy Ho won a top-tier tour main draw singles match at Rye Brook.

February 1996: Featured in French Tennis Magazine

In February 1996, at the age of 9, Richard Gasquet was featured on the cover of French Tennis Magazine and was touted as a future champion.

April 1999: First Junior Match

In April 1999, Richard Gasquet played his first junior match at the age of 12 at a grade 3 tournament in France. During this year, he dominated the U14 circuit in the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, winning prestigious trophies.

April 2002: ATP Tour Debut

In April 2002, Richard Gasquet made his ATP tour debut at the Tennis Masters Series tournament in Monte Carlo, becoming the youngest player ever to qualify for such an event, and also the youngest player to win a top-tier tour main draw singles match since 1988.

September 2002: Achieved Junior World No. 1 Ranking

On September 9, 2002, Richard Gasquet achieved a career-high junior singles ranking of world No. 1 at the age of 16 years and 3 months.

2002: Grand Slam Debut and Junior Success

In 2002, Richard Gasquet debuted at the French Open and finished the year as the No. 1 junior in the world, winning junior titles at the French Open and the US Open. He became the youngest year-end World No. 1 in junior rankings and the youngest player to finish in the year-end ATP top 200.

2002: Junior Grand Slam Performances

In 2002, Richard Gasquet reached the semifinals of the Junior Australian Open, won the Junior French Open, and won the Junior US Open.

2004: First ATP Tour Final and French Open Title

In 2004, Richard Gasquet reached his first ATP Tour singles final in Metz and won the mixed doubles title at the French Open with Tatiana Golovin.

2004: French Open Mixed Doubles Title

In 2004, Richard Gasquet won the mixed doubles title at the French Open, partnering with Tatiana Golovin.

2004: Use of Instinct Racquet

Since 2004, Richard Gasquet has used the Head Liquidmetal Instinct Tour XL racquet.

2005: Defeated Roger Federer in 2005 Monte Carlo Masters

In 2005, Richard Gasquet defeated Roger Federer in the quarterfinals at the Monte Carlo Masters.

2005: Hamburg Masters Runner-Up

In 2005, Richard Gasquet finished as runner-up in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Hamburg.

2005: Overcomes Chickenpox and Defeats Federer

In 2005, after recovering from chickenpox, Richard Gasquet won back-to-back Challenger titles, reached the semifinals at Monte Carlo, and defeated world No. 1 Roger Federer, becoming the youngest French player to do so.

2005: 19 Straight Years in Top 100

Richard Gasquet finished the year ranked No. 76, making it 19 straight years in the top 100 since 2005.

2006: Toronto Masters Runner-Up

In 2006, Richard Gasquet finished as runner-up in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto.

2006: Davis Cup and Injury

In 2006, Richard Gasquet had a slow start at the Australian Open but avenged his defeat in the Davis Cup against Germany. He suffered an abdominal injury which left him out of action for a month and went out in the second round of the French Open.

April 2007: Ranked Lowest Since April 2007

Richard Gasquet's ranking fell outside the top 10, the lowest he had been ranked since April 2007.

July 2007: Reached Career High Ranking

In July 2007, Richard Gasquet reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 7 by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

2007: 2007 Season Highlights

In 2007, Richard Gasquet began the season with a quarterfinal in Adelaide and a semifinal in Sydney, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. He notched his first win over a top-10 opponent in Monte Carlo and reached the final at Estoril.

2007: Victory in Mumbai and Final in Tokyo

In 2007, Richard Gasquet bowed out of the US Open due to a virus, returned to action in Mumbai winning his fifth career ATP title and reached the final of the Tokyo ATP tournament.

2007: Wimbledon Semifinals

In 2007, Richard Gasquet reached the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

2007: Withdrawal from US Open

Richard Gasquet withdrew from the 2007 US Open due to illness, despite having won his opening round match.

July 2008: Ranking Falls and Stuttgart Final

In July 2008, Richard Gasquet's ranking fell from No. 10 to 15. He reached the final at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, losing to Juan Martín del Potro.

2009: 2009 Tour Season

In 2009, Richard Gasquet began his tour season at the Brisbane International, reaching the semifinals. He also reached the semifinals at the Medibank International in Sydney and lost in the third round of the Australian Open.

September 2010: ATP Singles Ranking

On September 6, 2010, Richard Gasquet's ATP singles ranking was No. 38 in the world.

2011: 2011 Season

In 2011, Richard Gasquet began the year at the Chennai Open, lost in the third round of the Australian Open, and retired from the Zagreb Indoors due to a shoulder injury.

2012: 2012 Season

In 2012, Richard Gasquet competed at the Hopman Cup, losing in the final to the Czech Republic. He lost in the quarterfinals in Sydney and in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

2012: Toronto Masters Runner-Up

In 2012, Richard Gasquet finished as runner-up in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto.

2013: US Open Semifinal Appearance

In 2013, Richard Gasquet reached the semifinals of the US Open.

2014: Switched Clothing Sponsors

In 2014, Richard Gasquet switched from wearing Lacoste clothing to Le Coq Sportif.

2015: Wimbledon Championships Semifinal Appearance

In 2015, Richard Gasquet made a semifinal appearance at the Wimbledon Championships.

2015: 2015 Season

Richard Gasquet's strong performance at Wimbledon in 2015 elevated his ATP singles ranking seven places up to world No. 13. He lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open to Roger Federer and in the semifinals in Stockholm and Basel (to Jack Sock and Rafael Nadal respectively) before losing to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. Gasquet's strong play was enough to secure a year-end top 10 finish in the singles rankings for the fourth time in his career.

2018: Monterrey Challenger title match

In 2018, David Ferrer at the age of 36 defeated Ivo Karlović at the age of 39 in the Monterrey Challenger title match.

2018: 2018 Season

In 2018, Richard Gasquet played his first tournament of the year in Doha. He lost in the singles third round of the Australian Open to Roger Federer in straight sets, his ninth consecutive loss to Federer. In February, Gasquet reached the singles final of the Open Sud de France for the sixth consecutive year, where he was defeated by his countryman Lucas Pouille in straight sets. On 12 November, he withdrew from the Davis Cup World Group final against Croatia due to injury.

2018: Last ATP title before 2023

Richard Gasquet's last ATP title was in 2018, nearly five years before his next title in January 2023.

June 2022: Grand Slam Appearances

As of June 27, 2022, Richard Gasquet was in 5th place on the list of Grand Slam appearances overall with 67, tied with Andreas Seppi. He made the third round of Wimbledon defeating Joao Sousa in five sets and Mackenzie McDonald.

2022: Defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Geneva Open

At the 2022 Geneva Open, Richard Gasquet defeated Daniil Medvedev in the second round, marking his first win against a top-two ranked opponent since 2005. He reached the semifinals of the tournament.

January 2023: ASB Classic Victory

In January 2023, Richard Gasquet, ranked No. 67, won the ASB Classic, defeating Cameron Norrie in the final. This marked his 16th ATP title and his first in almost five years. At 36 years, 6 months and 27 days, he became the oldest French player in the Open Era to win a title and moved to No. 42 in the singles rankings.

October 2024: Retirement Announcement

On October 10, 2024, Richard Gasquet announced his retirement from tennis, with his last appearance scheduled for the 2025 French Open.

2024: Victory at the French Open First Round

In 2024, Richard Gasquet participated in his 74th Grand Slam at the French Open, where he received a wildcard and defeated Borna Ćorić in the first round.

2024: 1000th Career Match

In 2024, Richard Gasquet was scheduled to play his 1000th career match at the Țiriac Open but withdrew. He later played his 1000th career match at the ATP tour-level against Lorenzo Sonego at the Mutua Madrid Open.

2024: ATP Challenger Title Victory

In 2024, Richard Gasquet won his tenth ATP Challenger title, his first since 2017, at the Cassis Open Provence, becoming the third oldest champion ever on the ATP Challenger Tour at the age of 38, after Ivo Karlović and Fernando Verdasco.

2024: Loss at the ASB Classic

In 2024, at the ASB Classic, Richard Gasquet, the defending champion, lost to Arthur Fils, ending his 956-week streak in the top 100 since April 2005.