French Open: Do Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal Share a Special Bond? Exploring Their Age-Long Friendship Right From Juniors

Richard Gasquet is currently making waves at the French Open and is all set to face Jannik Sinner in the second round. Gasquet’s connection with the French Open is not new. It all started back in 2002, when he played in his first French Open tournament. However, apart from that, Gasquet’s connection to the clay slam also extends beyond his on-court prowess there. This is because he also shares a deep friendship with the 14-time Roland Garros winner, Rafael Nadal, from childhood!

The former World No. 7 has faced the King of Clay 18 times on-court since 2004! Sadly, Richard Gasquet has never won a match against him. But their on-court rivalry has never slipped into their off-court bond. Even when the Spaniard met the then World No. 32 back in 2018 at the Roland Garros, Nadal admitted, “I have a great relationship with him always. Since we were kids.”

Further describing how their relationship began, Nadal added, “We met each other first time when we were 12. First thing is he’s a very good person, no? He’s a very normal guy. We practiced hundreds of times together. He came to Mallorca.” The two 37-year-olds have always appreciated each other.

While Nadal once said, “Yeah, he is one of the guys on the tour that creates good atmosphere. He always has a positive attitude.Not creating no one problem and being a normal person, no? I like him a lot.” Gasquet, on the other hand, has once confessed, “I appreciate him a lot.” 

The players grew up together and played against each other in different tournaments while also traveling together. Even when they began their professional journey, Nadal and Gasquet were considered among the best young players in the world. Nadal, who first played against Richard Gasquet during the Estoril Open in 2004, once recalled their old times on-court and said, “We both represented the new generation at the time.” 

Although he went on to achieve 22 grand slams in his career, the current 124th player in the world, Richard Gasquet, has never won a grand slam. However, Nadal, a humble winner, has always appreciated his opponent’s performance whenever they played together.

Rafael Nadal was once “sorry” after defeating the “French star,” Richard Gasquet

The last time Richard Gasquet played against Rafael Nadal in the majors was at the U.S. Open in 2022. Although, the anticipation of a rematch this year between the two at Roland Garros (after 2021) excited fans, that dream will not be fulfilled after Nadal’s first-round exit. However, this was not the scenario back in 2018. During their encounter at Roland Garros that year, Nadal went at it and achieved his 16th victory against the French player. 

However, after the match, the Spaniard said, “I played very well, I’m sorry for Richard, he is a good friend and a good person.” This was one of the many times Nadal appreciated Richard Gasquet. One other time, Rafael Nadal said, “He was doing a bit better than I was. He was a future French star. That’s why there was a lot of expectations from the match.”

While both have enjoyed their friendship off the court, the fans will surely miss them competing against each other at the Roland Garros this season.