Gasquet to enjoy Latin American farewell, replaces Shapovalov at UTS Guadalajara
The 38-year-old Frenchman is due to retire at Roland-Garros this summer
Richard Gasquet
Frenchman Richard ‘The Virtuoso’ Gasquet will have the chance to say a special goodbye to his fans in Latin America this week when he plays in the UTS Guadalajara.
The 38-year-old French star, who will retire at Roland-Garros this summer, replaces Denis Shapovalov, who has withdrawn – due to back injury – after his stunning title run at the Dallas Open.
“I am really disappointed but I have to withdraw from UTS Guadalajara. I have been dealing with some back pain since the end of my week in Dallas, and unfortunately it is still hurting today, and I am not fit to play yet. It is very frustrating because I love to compete in UTS events, and I was super excited to come to Guadalajara. I had even changed my February schedule in order to be at UTS Guadalajara. I did my best to recover in time but it’s not just possible – my sincere apologies to UTS fans – I cant wait to see you very soon.” said Denis Shapovalov.
‘The Virtuoso’ has played three UTS events, reaching the semi-finals of the first two editions of UTS back in 2020. At UTS 3, he went one step further by reaching the final – falling to Alex ‘The Demon’ de Minaur.
He won’t have it easy at UTS Guadalajara, though, as he joins a Group A which includes Casper Ruud, Fabio Fognini and fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
Tomas Machac, Flavio Cobolli, David Goffin and Jakub Mensik compete for the other two semi-final spots in Group B.
UTS Guadalajara takes place from February 14 to 16 at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Guadalajara, with tickets on sale here.
