“Look him up on Google!” Gasquet fed up with Nadal questions

After his final match at the Rolex Paris Masters, the Frenchman had this to say about his near-exact contemporary, who will be retiring in less than a month’s time in Malaga

Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal (Federico Pestellini/Panoramic)

Carrie Dunn

October 29, 2024

Rolex Paris Masters •Second round • completed

See draw

Z. BergsvsR. Gasquet

From their first meeting at the Petits As in 1999 to the announcement of their retirement on the same day, October 10, Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal began and ended their professional tennis lives together, or almost. Gasquet will stop playing at Roland-Garros in 2025, while the Spaniard will stop a little earlier at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga in less than a month’s time (19-24 November).

Although the two men have become friends over the course of their careers, Gasquet will have to get used to the fact that he has never beaten the Mallorcan, with 18 defeats to his name.

In a press conference after losing to Zizou Bergs in his final appearance at the Rolex Paris Masters, the 38-year-old was asked a bizarre question: how would he explain to a child how special Nadal was? Gasquet was quite categorical (and ironic): he didn’t want to hear any more about the Spaniard.

“I would like children not to ask me, because since I was 19 I have been asked the same question. You know, if the children could look it up, could look it up on Google or something, it would be better, because yeah, I hope they will know Rafael Nadal.

“I cannot tell how many times I was asked this specific question: why is he so special? I mean, come on, just look at him, just watch him on TV, and that’s it.

“Why is he so special? I can’t even answer that question. He’s won 14 times Roland-Garros. Just imagine that figure. Not even in sci-fi, you couldn’t win Roland-Garros 14 times, and yet it was done by him.

“Once you have said that, you have said everything, you have said it all. Winning one tournament is not easy. He’s amazing. The intensity, his level of play, his physical fitness. I couldn’t tell you how he managed to make such achievements. Sometimes things are rational. Well, you see his level of play, but to that point, I couldn’t tell. Even I couldn’t tell you.”