Richard Gasquet bade farewell to more than two decades worth of US Open memories on Wednesday. The Frenchman, who reached the semi-finals in 2013, was celebrated with an on-court presentation following his second-round qualifying loss to #NextGenATP Vilius Gaubas.
During the ceremony, US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster presented the former World No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a symbol of thanks and Gasquet addressed the crowd. The 38-year-old was aiming to reach his 20th consecutive US Open main draw.
“I will keep these memories for my life,” Gasquet said. “It's a little bit sad for me to finish this year [like this], but I'm really happy with how I've played here in New York... to be here with the crowd, to feel this emotion, these feelings. You play tennis to feel these kind of feelings. It's electric, it's incredible for me to play in New York.”
Gasquet is continuing to work hard on Tour, with no official retirement date set. The 16-time tour-level titlist earned his 600th match win last year in Stuttgart. This season in Madrid, Gasquet competed in his 1,000th match.
"I'm so lucky," Gasquet added. "I played on the best court here with a lot of crowds. It was the most incredible atmosphere you can face on a tennis court, playing with 20,000 people on a centre court. I played [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, [Rafael] Nadal, the best players on this court, and I'm proud with the way I played here in New York.”
The 2002 boys' singles champion at Flushing Meadows, Gasquet made his US Open main-draw debut as a 19-year-old in 2005, when he reached the fourth round. He posted a 30-18 career main-draw record at the season’s fourth major.
"I hope to come back with you, in the crowd, next year,” Gasquet concluded.
Did You Know?
Argentine Diego Schwartzman is also competing in his farewell US Open. The 32-year-old, who advanced to the final round of qualifying, announced earlier this year that he will retire after the Argentina Open in 2025. The two-time quarter-finalist is aiming for his 11th consecutive US Open main-draw appearance.
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