Arthur Gea’s US Open run was nearly over before it began. The Frenchman lost in the final round of qualifying to Nishesh Basavareddy at Flushing Meadows, claiming just four games in the match.
Despite winning his first ATP Tour title in Los Cabos and entering qualifying in New York as the No. 86 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, he was suddenly without a spot in the season’s final Grand Slam tournament. But when Casper Ruud withdrew from the event, Gea had life once more.
“When I lost, it was obviously really hard. [I lost] against a really good player, actually, someone that I know for a long time,” Gea told ATPTour.com. “I was just training and waiting to get in, but nothing was really sure. When it was, I was super happy, and I was ready to play.”
During last year’s US Open, Gea was the No. 247 player in the world with one tour-level match to his name (a defeat in Marseille). Now the Frenchman is up to No. 63 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and climbing, with a chance to beat Botic van de Zandschulp on Monday for a place in his first major quarter-final.
This has been a long time coming for a player who began his journey in the sport aged seven in the small town of Velleron, France.
“It’s a really small one. Even in France, nobody knows it,” Gea said, cracking a laugh.
His parents, Christophe and Cecile, did not play tennis. Christophe played football when he was young, but not much after that. Arthur was playing football when there was an opportunity in his village to play tennis during the summer.
“My parents put me in there and told me to do it just to do some sports,” Gea said. “I think it was a good choice, actually.”
It was not necessarily forehand and backhand that attracted Gea. It was the competition.
“Just winning, actually, from when I was young. When I started at seven, I started also tournaments at eight, just small tournaments, and I was playing really good already,” Gea said. “[I liked] just the feeling that you win alone. [It is] not like in football when you win with the team and you can lose because of the team. This I really liked so much. So I just enjoyed winning.”
Each May when Roland Garros was taking place, Gea went through the same routine when he returned home from school. It often involved his idol, Rafael Nadal.
“I was just playing ping-pong alone and watching Rafa on the TV at the same time,” Gea said. “He's one of my idols of course.”
Nadal is a fitting idol for a player who loves competing. Michael Zheng, whom Gea defeated in the third round of the US Open, had high praise for that part of his opponent’s game.
“He’s always competing well and tracking down balls,” Zheng said. “I knew it was going to be a tough match and in some of the bigger moments I feel like he was a little more aggressive, capitalising a little bit more in the end.”
Once the No. 8 junior in the world, Gea competed in the US Open boys’ singles event twice. In 2023, he reached the semi-finals before falling in three sets to Learner Tien.
Two years later, the young pro was playing in ATP Challenger events in China while the world’s best were at Flushing Meadows. Now, the 21-year-old is thriving on the world’s stage. From nearly out of the tournament to playing for a place in the quarter-finals, Gea is thrilled.
“It was really nice, actually. Incredible. First time that far in a Grand Slam, especially here in New York,” Gea said. “It's amazing.”
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