Richard Gasquet recalled his first meeting with Roger Federer and highlighted the Swiss champion’s ability to constantly improve throughout his career. The 39-year-old Frenchman noted that Federer’s main strength, like those of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, is the continuous development of each shot throughout his career.
Their first meeting was at the Masters in Monte-Carlo in 2005, where a young Gasquet, coming out of qualifying, defeated the then undisputed world number one Roger Federer 6:7, 6:2, 7:6(8). Gasquet was later eliminated in the semifinals by Rafa Nadal, who went on to win his first Masters 1000 title.
Gasquet reminisces about his first meeting with Federer
Gasquet has played against Federer a total of 21 times, with Federer winning the direct duel with 19:2 (5:0 in Grand Slam tournaments). Gasquet won his first victory on the clay court of Monte Carlo, and six years later in Rome he achieved another narrow victory over Federer, 4:6, 7:6, 7:6(4).
“When I first played against Federer, I noticed that he became much stronger later. To tell the truth, when I beat him, I didn’t think that I had played against an unimaginable player,” Gasquet said. “When I left the court I thought I was no weaker than him. Later he was exceptional in many of our matches.”
“He has evolved. The same goes for Djokovic and Nadal – their strength is that they have improved everywhere and on all surfaces. Federer’s backhand was no longer the same. But when I played against him for the first time “He’s not at this level yet,” said the Frenchman.
Gasquet finished the season ranked 129th in the world and has managed to remain competitive despite his significant drop in the rankings. The former world number 7 will begin his 2025 season by qualifying for the Brisbane International.
