Richard Gasquet: Tennis Prodigy, Net Worth, Injuries & Wife

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Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player who has won 15 singles titles on the ATP Tour. He became only the sixth active player to win 550 matches on the ATP tour in March 2021 and is best known for his elegant groundstrokes and one-handed backhand.

Lawn Tennis is mostly brain games. You win or lose the match before you even go on the court. For Richard Gasquet, this sentence is true.

This French tennis player has been in the game for a long time and is doing a great job.

Richard Gabriel Cyr Gasquet, better known as Richard Gasquet, is a 37 years old lawn tennis player from France. He is a right-handed player and reached No.7 as a career-high in the ATP Singles Ranking in 2007. 

Richard Gasquet In Action
Richard Gasquet In Action (Source: Lob and Smash)

Currently living in Switzerland, Richard is a focused and hardworking player with a massive fan following worldwide. 

He participates in multiple competitions and always gives his best regardless of the magnitude of the match. He has won 15 singles titles on the ATP Tour.

Richard was defeated by ruthless Rafael Nadal and halted his journey into the last 16 of the US Open 2022.

Before diving into his life and career, let’s learn a little about him through the table of quick facts below.

Richard Gasquet | Quick Facts

Full Name Richard Gabriel Cyr Gasquet
Birth Date 18 June 1986
Birth Place Béziers, France
Nick Name Richard
Religion N/A
Nationality French
Ethnicity European (White)
Education N/A
Horoscope Gemini
Father’s Name Serignan Gasquet
Mother’s Name Maryse Gasquet
Siblings None, an only child
Age 37 years old
Height 6’/1.83 m/183 cm
Weight 79 kg/174 lb.
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Light Brown
Build Athletic
Profession Tennis Player
Current Team Singular/Independent game
Style Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Forehand Grip  Eastern Forehand Grip
Ranking #68 (December 08, 2022)
Active Years 2002- present
Marital Status Not Married Yet
Children None
Salary NA
Net Worth $10 million
Social Media Instagram, Twitter
Merch  Tennis Shoes, Tennis Rackets
Last Update March, 2024

Richard Gasquet | Personal Life And Early Years

Richard Gasquet was born on 18 July 1986 to father, Serignan Gasquet, and mother, Maryse Gasquet, in Beziers, France. Under his father’s guidance, he began playing tennis at the age of four.

Since his early childhood, everyone could see that he was a natural at it. He played exceptionally well and has a ton of Awards to vouch for it.

Richard was a certified tennis prodigy by the time he was twelve. According to the BBC, he won the Les Petit As – “the unofficial world junior title.”

Richard Gasquet, A Tennis Prodigy
Richard Gasquet, A Tennis Prodigy (Source: Tennis Legend)

His mother and father were both tennis coaches, so he had an early start and a genetic inclination toward tennis. 

By 2002, Gasquet had won a Monte Carlo Men’s event, the junior tournament titles at the French and the US Open, and became the World Junior Champion.

Impressively, he was also the youngest to make it into the top 200 in the men’s year-end rankings at sixteen.

In 2004, he teamed up with another french teenage tennis player Tatiana Golovin to win the French Mixed Doubles Championship.

Richard continued his winning streak by winning his first singles at Nottingham, England, making a Davis Cup Debut, and becoming the top-ranked tennis player in France. 

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Richard Gasquet | Professional Career 

Gasquet started his career quite early, and he was only seventeen when he competed in the finals of Metz, his first ATP Tour Singles, where he lost to Jérôme Haehnel.

2005 was a spectacular year for Richard Gasquet as he conquered many things during that time despite missing the first seven weeks of the season due to chickenpox.

When he recovered, he won match after match at the Challenger titles. He also beat the then-world No.1, Roger Federer, in the Masters Series Tournament at Monte Carlo. 

Richard And Roger
Richard And Roger (Source: Tennis World)

By doing so, Gasquet became the youngest French player ever to beat the No.1 player in the world. However, he lost the competition to Rafael Nadal.

Gasquet also won his first-ever Grand Slam title, the French Open, in 2005. On his nineteenth birthday, Richard also won his ATP tour singles for the first time.

He incurred an elbow injury and couldn’t play the last two months of the season. 

After Injury

Richard Gasquet lost to Tommy Hass in the 2006 Australian Open; however, he evened the Davis Cup score, where Richard beat Tommy. 

Despite having a disappointing first half of the season, he defended his title at Nottingham. But, unfortunately, he lost his first match at Wimbledon against Roger Federer. 

Gasquet returned with an improved form for the second half of the season.

He progressed TOWARD the US Open and the Canadian Open, where he lost to Federer again. 

He won his third ATP Tour Singles title on Lyon’s indoor carpet that year. Thus, he completed his achievement of reaching the ATP singles finals on all four surfaces in a single year.

In May 2021, he defeated the then #10 Diego Schwartzman to claim his first win over a top-10 player in almost two years.

In the 2022 Geneva Open, the Frenchman booked a win over top seed and current No.7 (then No.2), Daniil Medvedev, in the second round in straight sets. This was his first win over an opponent ranked in the top two since his win over Roger Federer, who was the world’s No.1 at that time. 

In the 2022 US Open, Richard suffered a brutal blow against the No. 2 seed, Rafael Nadal, restricting him from entering into the Round of 16. This was his 18th loss against Nadal, however, this was his biggest loss so far, 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.

Since he debuted as a professional player in 2002, he has recorded 755 wins and 423 losses in singles, 78 wins and 67 losses in doubles, and 11 wins and 0 losses in mixed doubles.

Injuries & Ranking As World No.7

Richard Gasquet reached world No.7 in 2007, his all-time high ranking in the ATP ranking structure. He also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. 

Gasquet appeared in a Grand Slam semifinals for the first time at Wimbledon. In one of the greatest Wimbledon quarterfinals, Gasquet defeated Andy Roddick. After that, however, he lost in the semifinals to Federer. 

Moreover, Gasquet could not participate in the US Open in 2007 due to illness. Nevertheless, he won his fifth ATP title by defending against Olivier Rochus. Additionally, Gasquet also reached the finals of the Tokyo ATP tournament.

Richard Gasquet, French Tennis Player
Richard Gasquet, French Tennis Player (Source: BsportsFan)

After a few weeks break, Gasquet returned to Lyon, where he was the defending champion but lost the title to Tsonga. Then, they met again in Paris Masters, where Gasquet beat Tsonga in the second round.

Gasquet beat another world No.1, Andy Murray, but he lost to David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals. After his stellar performance there, he qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup.

However, he was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the first round. After that game, he defeated Novak Djokovic and lost to David Ferrer, which ended his road to the championship.

He also made a disappointing loss in the Mercedes Cup, ATP Tour Singles, and the US Open as well. He also ranked below the top 10 after a long time.

Olympic Career

Gasquet participated in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, where he represented France and played both singles and doubles. Although he is a great athlete overall, he only managed to win a bronze medal in the doubles.

Moreover, he did not earn any medals in the men’s singles category. It was his first and only Olympic appearance. 

However, the player had intentions of playing in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics but later decided to go into the US open instead. Hence, he opted out of the Olympics and started preparing for the 2008 US Open. 

Furthermore, he was not in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Likewise, the French tennis player did not aim to get into the Tokyo Olympics and was rather preparing for Wimbledon and the Swedish Open. 

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Cocaine Controversy

In 2009, Richard Gasquet was suspended from playing tennis provisionally after traces of cocaine were detected in his system in a urine sample taken in March 2009.

However, he was allowed to play again when the tribunal committee found that, 

“the cocaine entered his system through inadvertent contamination in a nightclub”

Gasquet explained that the cocaine might have entered his body when he French kissed a stripper at a nightclub in Miami. 

The tribunal committee also mentioned that the cocaine traces sample found in Gasquet’s body was “very small, about the size of a grain of salt.”

Gasquet regained his form and appeared in the top 10 rankings again in 2010. He played in the Australian Open, Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament, BNP Paribas Open, Sony Ericsson Open, and French Open, to name a few.

Due to multiple injuries, losses, and lacking form in 2013, Richard Gasquet lost his top ten ATP rankings and reverted to 27. 

Gasquet At The US Open
Gasquet At The US Open (Source: The New York Times)

2015 again saw Gasquet in the top 10 as he made a return with a better form and better health altogether. As a result, he reached the quarterfinals of the US Open and the fourth round of the French Open.

In 2017, Richard Gasquet made it a point to return to the top 10. However, he stated that he wanted to focus more on bigger tournaments like the Davis Cup and the Grand Slams. 

The latter years did not turn out as great as Gasquet hoped. He had multiple injuries and surgeries. Additionally, he did not win any major tournaments.

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Richard Gasquet | Playing Style

Gasquet is an efficient player on all sorts of courts. Additionally, he can play a brilliant single-handed backhand, which the tennis world considers to be one of the best.

However, Gasquet is not so great at the forehand as it is weaker, less consistent, and slower than his backhand. 

He is also praiseworthy in his ability to work well in all courts. He has consistent volleys and can push the endpoints at the net, which buys him more time. 

Richard Gasquet | Personal Life, Philanthropy & Net Worth 

According to sources, Richard Gasquet is not yet married and is currently single as of this writing. Although, he was in a relationship with Laury Thilleman since 2012 but recently broke up as per the claim by different online sources.

Besides, he was rumored to have been linked romantically with the Belgian model, Jade Lagardère. However, the two insisted that they were only good friends. 

Richard And Laury
Richard And Laury (Source: Tennis World)

Besides that, Jade has been married to a French businessman, Arnaud Lagardère, since 2013. The pair share three adorable little kids. 

Did you know that he was called Baby Federer after Roger Federer because of his exceptional gameplay? He was called so and was considered a tennis prodigy as a child.

Richard is equally active in the world’s philanthropical aspects, as he has established the Richard Gasquet Foundation. Hence, this foundation helps to improve the life of underprivileged children.

Furthermore, his foundation specifically works with such children to help them achieve better health and better opportunities due to his foundation.

Thanks to his more than decent and long tennis career, Richard Gasquet has amassed a fortune.

He reportedly has a fortune of about $10 million. He earned these through championships and sponsorship.

From his tennis career, he has amassed around $20 million, and 15 Singles and 2 Doubles titles to his name.

Richard Gasquet | Social Media Presence

Like most sportspeople in the world, Richard is quite active on social media as well. He often posts about tennis and his life on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, etc.

He is available on Instagram using the handle @richardgasquet34 and on Twitter @richardgasquet1.

Instagram: 143k followers

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Richard Gasquet (@richardgasquet34)

Twitter: 126.7k followers

Richard Gasquet | Popularity

Richard Gasquet is one of the most popular French Tennis players. He was ranked No. 7 (his Highest ranking so far) on July 9, 2007.

Richard's Popularity
Richard’s Popularity (Source: Google Trends)

The above graph shows the fluctuating popularity of the Frenchman based on Google searches worldwide.

Richard Gasquet | FAQs

How tall is Gasquet?

Richard is 6 feet tall. Their fans also liked this handsome tennis player due to his tall and athletic physique.

Is Richard Gasquet better than Andrey Rublev and Emil Ruusuvuori?

As per ATPtour.com, Rublev and Ruusuvuori have much better skills than Gasquet. Andrey is ranked #8 and Emil #40, while Richard is ranked #68. 

Does Richard use Social Media?

Yes, Richard is on Instagram and Twitter. You can follow him there for updates about him!

Is Richard Gasquet’s rank higher than Mikael Ymer?

Yes, Gasquet’s rank is #68, while Ymer’s rank is #69. 

Has Richard Gasquet won a Grand Slam?

No, the Frech tennis player has not won a Grand Slam yet. 

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Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

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Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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