Former world No. 7 Richard Gasquet admits he is past his prime and it is highly unlikely he returns to the top-10 but he is determined to give his best until the day he calls it a career. Gasquet, 35, is one of the most experienced players on the ATP Tour.
Gasquet, who turned professional in 2002, has 15 ATP titles to his name. In 2007, Gasquet achieved his career-high ranking of No. 7 in the world. Now, Gasquet is ranked at No. 70 in the world. “My best tennis would be difficult,” Gasquet told the ATP website.
“I was No. 7 in the world. It would be very difficult for me to come back to Top 10, even Top 20. But I just want to enjoy it, to be good on court… to have strength, to be free of injuries”.
Gasquet: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer are an inspiration
Even though Gasquet is past his prime, he feels he can deifnitely be competitive and clinch more big wins before he retires.
“Of course I’m sure I can win many great matches,” he said. “I did against top players, even Top 10, winning tough matches and playing well. “But I’m 36 this year, so it gets more and more difficult.
I just want to enjoy it and try my best to go forward”. Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic all proved that it is possible to win big even in thirties. Gasquet says the Big Three are an inspiration but adds that nobody can compare with them.
“Of course it’s an inspiration, but nobody can compare with Nadal, with Federer,” Gasquet said, discussing the recent success of his contemporaries. “These are the best players in the history of tennis, so it’s really tough for me to compare myself with these kinds of guys”.
