Roland-Garros honours Richard Gasquet’s memorable career after his final match against Sinner
Richard Gasquet ends his professional career with a hard-fought match, despite the scoreline, against world No 1 Jannik Sinner (6-3, 6-0, 6-4)
Richard Gasquet, Roland-Garros 2025 | © Julien Nouet / Tennis Majors
Never insult tennis. That’s not in the nature of world No 1 Jannik Sinner anyway. As expected, Roland-Garros’ faint hopes of seeing Richard Gasquet trouble the winner of the last two Grand Slams were quickly dashed on Thursday afternoon on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Gasquet wrapped up his remarkable career in the second round of Roland-Garros 2025, managing to snatch just a handful of games from the clinical efficiency of Sinner: 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 in 1 hour and 57 minutes.
But this wasn’t quite a one-sided affair where a 23-year-old at the peak of his powers mercilessly paints the lines past a 38-year-old veteran running on fumes. Gasquet’s racket still held its magic, which shone through at several moments in the match — on the backhand, of course, but also in some delightful serve-and-volley plays.
Still, Sinner’s discipline eventually crushed the hopes of the packed Chatrier crowd, who had gathered to honor the third of the four “new Musketeers” of French tennis to retire, following Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2022) and Gilles Simon (2023) – Monfils is scheduled tonight on the Chatrier, his retirement is not. In the first set, Sinner had to fend off three break-back points at 5-3 before closing it out. In the third, Gasquet held firm until 4-4 before finally yielding to the Italian.
Gasquet started when Sinner was aged 1
Gasquet leaves professional tennis, which he entered in 2002 — when Sinner was just a year old — on a point that perfectly captures his style: a gorgeous one-handed backhand followed by a forehand approach full of flair, just missing the line. All that was left was for the crowd to rise and salute their champion, in the presence of FFT president Gilles Moretton and tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.
“I never imagined playing the tournament 22 times. I’ve been incredibly lucky”, said Gasquet, keeping his emotions in check after a tribute video highlighted his precocious beginnings, his 16 career titles, and his 610 wins — a record for a Frenchman in the Open era.
“You never gave up on us. We had incredible support thanks to you all across France, not just here at Roland-Garros. You gave me unforgettable emotions. But this isn’t a goodbye — it’s a see you soon. My passion for tennis will last until the end of my life. I’ll be back in the stands with you very soon. Long live tennis, long live France — see you soon.”
