The excitement is palpable on the Bercy court, home of the Paris Masters 1,000, for the long-awaited farewell of the Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who said goodbye to one of the tournaments where he officiated at home for over two decades.
The 38-year-old player, invited by the organizers, who he will definitely leave the racket after the next Roland Garroscould not compete against the Belgian Zizou Bergs, thirteen years younger, 65 in the world, saved from the previous stage and too fresh and powerful for the French.
The 6-3 and 6-4 scoreline reflected the expectation, that Gasquet, from the same generation as Rafa Nadalhe no longer has the tennis to face duels at the level of a Masters 1,000 and what awaits until his final farewell to the Parisian clay will be more like a farewell tour than real competition.
The Bercy court, the indoor tournament that ends the ATP season, is the perfect place to start the last song and the spectators, not too many, want to go to say goodbye to what has been their best asset on the indoor circuit for many years.
Lack of emotion in the match, the organizers want to put it at the end, when They projected a retrospective of their best moments on courtwith the now legendary one-handed backhand, one of the most aesthetic.
“I feel many emotions. One day I will join you in the stands to see the other playersespecially the French. “All this would not have been possible without you,” said the Frenchman from the court.
This is the last of his 17 participations in a tournament where he is the tennis player with the most participants along with Novak Djokovic and where his best participation was the semifinal he reached in 2007, losing to Argentine David Nalbandian.
Without a Masters 1,000 victory since last year’s Madrid tournament, Gasquet is the Frenchman with the most wins in this type of tournament, 143, and the fourth most active player.surpassed only by Nadal, Djokovic and the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, although in this tournament he could be surpassed by the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
Of them all, the Frenchman is the only one who has not won any Masters 1,000 titles.
Bergs will fight for a place in the round of 16 against another Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino, as well as Gasquet, invited by the organizers, who beat American Tommy Paul, eleventh seed, in the first round.
Source: La Verdad
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