Gasquet considering skipping the French

ScovilleJenkins · May 14, 2008

HAMBURG, GERMANY (TICKER) —Richard Gasquet may withdraw from the upcoming French Open after claiming he is “not fit to play tennis.”

The 21-year-old, who is ninth in the world rankings and the French No. 1, has endured a wretched 2008 as he has not progressed past the round of 16 in any event this year.

Gasquet followed up his first round exit at the hands of Luis Horna in Rome last week by losing, 6-3, 6-2, to Andreas Seppi in his opening match at this week’s Masters Series tournament in Hamburg.

Gasquet said he is now contemplating missing his home country’s Grand Slam event.

“I am completely burned out,” he said. “I haven’t fully recovered from the efforts I made last year. And I am paying for it at the moment. I am not fit to play tennis - running, moving, everything is becoming difficult.

“I am going to cut myself off for the week. Forgetting about my racquet can’t do me any harm. For Roland Garros, we will see. Don’t expect a big tournament from me if I take part in it.”

The French Open begins May 25 and Gasquet fears it could be embarrassing for him if he does take part in the tournament, given his current form.

“It is nearly two years since I have had a break. I miss that,” Gasquet said. “Imagine what I would do at Roland Garros, it would not be nice for anyone.”

Gasquet won a career-high 49 matches in 2007, claiming a fifth career ATP title and reaching two other finals.

He also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the first time he had gone that deep into in a major.

Vermillion · May 14, 2008

dammit you pansy! be a professional!

Political Thunder · May 14, 2008

He's going retire like Henin.

xpaulinabearx · May 14, 2008

are you serious?
it's even in his native country!
wow.

ScovilleJenkins · May 14, 2008

yeah how low can one 'man' get...

the worst quote though is this: "Don’t expect a big tournament from me if I take part in it."

Eastern Technifibre · May 14, 2008

He is the biggest baby in the world

ScovilleJenkins · May 14, 2008

Gugafan said:
Djokovic was suffering wtih of burn-out towards the end of last yr, where he struggled to win a match in the round robin stage of the Masters Cup. The off season break helped him re-group and he subsequently won the AO.

Perhaps the pressure of being the French no 1 player, and comparisons with a "Federer like game" are hurting him. Last year was a breakout year for Gasquet, however some players struggle to consolidate their position amongst the elite and fade away e.g Schuttler, Coria, Gaudio.

If Gasquet is physically jaded then missing the French Open, and returning sharp for the grass court swing seems fallible.

yes but djokovic was playing all those tournaments and not making excuses, not basically saying "I stink and might as well not even try."

Tempest344 · May 14, 2008

yeah maybe taking a bit of a rest to recover may do him good

CAM178 · May 14, 2008

It's easy for outsiders to criticize him, and say that he should 'be professional' and man-up and play the sport. But we don't know what kind of toll all of this tennis and exposure as cost him both physically and emotionally. The guy seems to be a bit sensitive, so if he wants a break, he should take a break. I'm guessing he plays the French, but like he said, he won't do well. He should take off for as long as he needs.

The ATP and WTA need to realize what kind of a toll the schedule is having on the players. It is just too much. We might think that one match a day is nothing, but rmemember that:
1. these players expend more energy in one match than any recreational player does in 5 matches
2. they have PR responsibilities
3. they have press conferences
4. they have to train to prepare for each match
5. they have a great deal of pressure on them. For a lot of them, that means the weight of a nation on their shoulders.

For Gasquet, I think this (weight of nation) was especially the situation, as he has been touted as the next great thing for France in tennis since he was a little boy. After this many years, it's got to be too much.

tennisfan_23 · May 14, 2008

i think it's safe to say that he's officially going to drop off the radar

the thing is, as humans, we're quick to criticize people.. from judging how stepanek gets women when he might very well have a great personality to quickly jumping on djokovic when he bounces the ball 20+ times (even though that IS a bit annoying)

gasquet was a GREAT player by many standards. however, something happened along the way and he must feel completely frustrated with himself, and may even be slightly clinically depressed... either way, i'm sure he's going through a rough patch and as much as we want to tell him to "man up" and stop being such a pansy, what he's going through could be very tough indeed.

now, having said that, i do want to say that he could change his attitude a bit, but if he wants to take a bit of time off, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he does when he's had his "rest"

quest01 · May 14, 2008

Gasquet has something in common with Henin, they are both mentally weak.

Mick · May 14, 2008

quest01 said:
Gasquet has something in common with Henin, they are both mentally weak.

and both got a very nice looking 1hbh

crazytennis · May 14, 2008

ScovilleJenkins said:
yes but djokovic was playing all those tournaments and not making excuses, not basically saying "I stink and might as well not even try."

Eastern Technifibre said:
He is the biggest baby in the world

ScovilleJenkins said:
yeah how low can one 'man' get...

the worst quote though is this: "Don’t expect a big tournament from me if I take part in it."

xpaulinabearx said:
are you serious?
it's even in his native country!
wow.

None of guys have ever felt, that you're tired and wanted to take a break ?
Never ever said that you were too tired to work ?
He's a professional ranked number 9 in the world and if he thinks his training and matches is causing him fatigue and stress, then he should take a break.

Vermillion said:
dammit you pansy! be a professional!

xpaulinabearx · May 14, 2008

crazytennis said:
None of guys have ever felt, that you're tired and wanted to take a break ?
Never ever said that you were too tired to work ?
He's a professional ranked number 9 in the world and if he thinks his training and matches is causing him fatigue and stress, then he should take a break.

yeah..but having a break during every tournament isn't so great...

shawn1122 · May 14, 2008

Wow, look at all of you sitting on your asses and criticizing this guy. If it means he'll come back 100% then I'm all for it. I doubt any of you guys that are calling him a pansy and mentally weak know a thing about what its like to play at the highest level in any sport, I sure don't. But I sure as hell am not going to underestimate how tough it must be and I'm definitely not going to call a guy a wimp because he wants a break after having the one of the best years of his career. Does it not make sense that perhaps he worked too hard last year and all the mental and physical stress has been accumulating since then? You guys need to stop blindly hating on Gasquet, it's getting really old...

Vision84 · May 14, 2008

Quit calling him out. Its his career. To many people on these boards fail to realize the players are not playing for the fans enjoyment.

flyer · May 14, 2008

the guy needs to just man up, he hasn't gone trough anything any other of the young talents haven't this year, if anything they have played much more he plays like once or twice a tourny, he should have no excuse to be burnt out physically, if he is physically burnt out then he needs to keep himself in better shape

CanadianChic · May 14, 2008

That's too bad. I hate to see when any player goes down like this. Hopefully he can rest and get his health back soon. He is young - he has plenty of time to get back to where he is.

Vision84 · May 15, 2008

flyer said:
the guy needs to just man up, he hasn't gone trough anything any other of the young talents haven't this year, if anything they have played much more he plays like once or twice a tourny, he should have no excuse to be burnt out physically, if he is physically burnt out then he needs to keep himself in better shape

No excuse? He plays tennis all the time. It is his life and has been for a long time. I don't blame him for needing some time off to not think about it for a while. Do you know what it is like to have tennis as your life to the extent of pro tennis player? Please enlighten me.

curazyass · May 15, 2008

He should just retire and become a helpless alcoholic.

Bud · May 15, 2008

quest01 said:
Gasquet has something in common with Henin, they are both mentally weak.

Coming from someone sitting leisurely at their computer, in the comfort of their home, posting on a tennis forum. I bet that's mentally taxing! :lol:

Bud · May 15, 2008

shawn1122 said:
Wow, look at all of you sitting on your asses and criticizing this guy. If it means he'll come back 100% then I'm all for it. I doubt any of you guys that are calling him a pansy and mentally weak know a thing about what its like to play at the highest level in any sport, I sure don't. But I sure as hell am not going to underestimate how tough it must be and I'm definitely not going to call a guy a wimp because he wants a break after having the one of the best years of his career. Does it not make sense that perhaps he worked too hard last year and all the mental and physical stress has been accumulating since then? You guys need to stop blindly hating on Gasquet, it's getting really old...

Bingo! :wink:

CAM178 · May 15, 2008

For those of you claiming he needs to man up, stop being a pansy, etc, you need to gain a litle compassion (yes, I edited it, as what I said before was a bit crass). You have no idea what this guy could be going through. You see the glitz and glamour, the money, the fame, etc., and you think it's all gravy.

It's not.

Why do you think so many professional athletes and actors have 'episodes'? It's because some people are insanely talented, but they are ill-equipped to handle the business side of their talents. There is no more privacy, there is no more 'doing it because I love it' or 'doing it because it is fun'. It is now a business for these people, and the fun is all but gone. If anything, these people are mental giants for lasting as long as they have. I credit Justine for lasting almost 10 years on tour, considering that she had umpteen family problems, the weight of her mother's death over her head, and a very acrimonious divorce. Let me put the ball in your court, oh naysayers: have you ever had a bad break-up? If yes, did you withdraw a little bit? Were you not your usual self? Now imagine that you had to make public appearances during that pain. Imagine having to be polite and courteous to everybody, knowing full well you want to tell everyone where they can go, just so that you can get a bit of time to cope with things. And imagine having to play tournaments and see yourself on TV and the internet talking about your personal affairs. It's not enough that you have to deal with the problem, but every time you turn around, someone is asking about it or it's being discussed somewhere. Because these athletes appear on the cover of Tennis magazine or Sports Illustrated does not make them immortal. They are human, just like you and me.

Perhaps Gasquet is depressed, has a sick family member, or maybe he lost a close friend or companion. Or maybe he's simply exhausted. None of us know what's going on. Until you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes, it is best not to be so judgmental.

I personally can not imagine not having a break from a life so public, having the weight of a very emotionally-involved country like France on my shoulders, etc. If the guy wants a break, he is a far better judge of that than we are. We ALL need a little perspective from time to time.

Just my 2 cents. 8)

vive le beau jeu ! · May 15, 2008

CAM178 said:
For those of you claiming he needs to man up, stop being a pansy, etc, I hope you put a breath mint in your ass before you talk out of it. You have no idea what this guy could be going through. You see the glitz and glamour, the money, the fame, etc., and you think it's all gravy.

It's not.

Why do you think so many professional athletes and actors have 'episodes'? It's because some people are insanely talented, but they are ill-equipped to handle the business side of their talents. There is no more privacy, there is no more 'doing it because I love it' or 'doing it because it is fun'. It is now a business for these people, and the fun is all but gone. If anything, these people are mental giants for lasting as long as they have. I credit Justine for lasting almost 10 years on tour, considering that she had umpteen family problems, the weight of her mother's death over her head, and a very acrimonious divorce. Let me put the ball in your court, oh naysayers: have you ever had a bad break-up? If yes, did you withdraw a little bit? Were you not your usual self? Now imagine that you had to make public appearances during that pain. Imagine having to be polite and courteous to everybody, knowing full well you want to tell everyone where they can go, just so that you can get a bit of time to cope with things. And imagine having to play tournaments and see yourself on TV and the internet talking about your personal affairs. It's not enough that you have to deal with the problem, but every time you turn around, someone is asking about it or it's being discussed somewhere. Because these athletes appear on the cover of Tennis magazine or Sports Illustrated does not make them immortal. They are human, just like you and me.

Perhaps Gasquet is depressed, has a sick family member, or maybe he lost a close friend or companion. Or maybe he's simply exhausted. None of us know what's going on. Until you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes, it is best not to be so judgmental.

I personally can not imagine not having a break from a life so public, having the weight of a very emotionally-involved country like France on my shoulders, etc. If the guy wants a break, he is a far better judge of that than we are. We ALL need a little perspective from time to time.

Just my 2 cents. 8)

indeed, considering how he is playing a the moment, how he appears to feel on the court... a break could be good for him.
... and then i hope he can start the grass season with a refreshed brain !

greenfan · May 15, 2008

That's a pitty, he's one of my favorite players and I love his backhand! As for his statement "don't wait a big tournament from me if I take part in it" I think it's just to take pressure of him, since it's his country and maybe French are expecting too much from him.....

topangasun · May 15, 2008

as a fan of gasquet, i personally think he should take a little break if that's what he feels he needs. however, while on this break i think he should look at his tennis career and find out what he needs to change and improve in order to fulfill his potential. i think he needs a better coach than deblicker. i don't doubt his coaching abilities, i just think gasquet needs someone to inspire him and motivate him; someone to fire him up. he needs to be selfish and start winning tennis matches for himself rather than france or the reputation that has been forced upon him.

Tempest344 · May 15, 2008

He needs to stand closer in.

laurie · May 15, 2008

Vision84 said:
No excuse? He plays tennis all the time. It is his life and has been for a long time. I don't blame him for needing some time off to not think about it for a while. Do you know what it is like to have tennis as your life to the extent of pro tennis player? Please enlighten me.

You make some good points and I don't doubt your argument. The only thing that would worry me if I was a Richard Gasquet fan is this - he didn't really play that much winning Tennis last year, I don't remember him winning many tournaments for instance. What would happen if he did get it together, won lots of big tournaments including slams, and became a household name as opposed to just known in Tennis circles around the world at the moment - how would he deal with that extra pressure which would be 10 times more than now?

daddy · May 15, 2008

Vision84 said:
No excuse? He plays tennis all the time. It is his life and has been for a long time. I don't blame him for needing some time off to not think about it for a while. Do you know what it is like to have tennis as your life to the extent of pro tennis player? Please enlighten me.

Oh shut up with that - have you been there - argument. Please, we have only 99 other players from top 100 to look at and see how are they doing. Some of them play much more demanding style ( defensive, non shotmaking, waiting for mistakes from oponents, running all the time ) and played a lot more matches then Gasquet, yet none other complain. Fed played thru mono for crying out loud.

It is very clear that whatever his problem is, its mental. He is feeling burned out although he has no reason to - but I have no doubt in my mind he does feel that way. Call it whiny, weak, crybaby or just fragile or whatever other 'polite' expression one could use - it all comes down to the same - he'd better be tougher in future if he wants to top his current ranking.

rightytopspin79 · May 15, 2008

Good, he's embarrassing himself out on the court right now. He loses to Luis Horna, who had to qualify to play in Rome! Wow! Though The Seppi loss isn't as bad because at least Seppi won his next match but seriously he just really has nothing going on for him this year. I think its a lose lose situation for him. If doesn't play he'll get ragged on, and if he plays he'll get ragged on because he'll lose in the 1st round.

xpaulinabearx · May 15, 2008

rightytopspin79 said:
Good, he's embarrassing himself out on the court right now. He loses to Luis Horna, who had to qualify to play in Rome! Wow! Though The Seppi loss isn't as bad because at least Seppi won his next match but seriously he just really has nothing going on for him this year. I think its a lose lose situation for him. If doesn't play he'll get ragged on, and if he plays he'll get ragged on because he'll lose in the 1st round.

hell yeah!
he should retire.
what a waste of talent.

pow · May 15, 2008

He should take a break but I think for Gasquet, he shouldn't miss the French because it's his home tournament and he shouldn't miss Wimbledon because he has so many points to defend. Other than these two, I suppose the other tournaments would be more viable to skip.

fantom · May 15, 2008

He's such a spoiled little git.

Ronaldo · May 15, 2008

Richard, wazza matta with u? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYkxF14YdAw

Lionheart · May 15, 2008

quest01 said:
Gasquet has something in common with Henin, they are both mentally weak.

Henin is mentally weak? Get your facts straight, she is a hell of a fighter, I would pay to see someone mentally weak getting to number after all the problems she had

Feña14 · May 15, 2008

Gasquet has often stated that Wimbledon is his favourite slam so maybe a few weeks away from tennis and then a big push on the grass could get him back on track.

miniRafa386 · May 15, 2008

ScovilleJenkins said:
yes but djokovic was playing all those tournaments and not making excuses, not basically saying "I stink and might as well not even try."

yea but djokovic felt himself burning out at shanghai, not in the middle of the season. if you ask me, all players have felt this way, so its no news to me why gasquet feels this way.

edmondsm · May 15, 2008

The only logical explanation is that he thinks taking some time off will give him a better shot at defending his grass points. If that's not the case then he's just being a tool. We all have jobs, we all want time off, most of us don't have a choice. I'm up to my eyeballs in responsibilities and I would love to "put down the racket". Can I? No. And if I could I certainly wouldn't do it at the most important time of the year. "I'm completely burned out" he says. Well join the club buddy.

Aabye · May 15, 2008

edmondsm said:
The only logical explanation is that he thinks taking some time off will give him a better shot at defending his grass points. If that's not the case then he's just being a tool. We all have jobs, we all want time off, most of us don't have a choice. I'm up to my eyeballs in responsibilities and I would love to "put down the racket". Can I? No. And if I could I certainly wouldn't do it at the most important time of the year. "I'm completely burned out" he says. Well join the club buddy.

yep. ten chars

daddy · May 15, 2008

Lionheart said:
Henin is mentally weak? Get your facts straight, she is a hell of a fighter, I would pay to see someone mentally weak getting to number after all the problems she had

Well I'll take into account your age because lately in her career she did not show any significant signs of weakness, apart from retiring in the mid of career while on top. My guess is that the talk about her not wanting to win Wimbledon rather than it was her dream - pure crap.

Anyways she was not examplary mentally strong person as one may think judging from her as of late.

Leublu tennis · May 15, 2008

This sounds really dumb to me. I was going to say strange, but I thinks its just dumb. Lets see, he was exhausted after last season and has had trouble with the game. He just notice it now? Why not take two months off. One month to rest and one month to work on the game. And do this in time for the FO. If he took the time off and by the time the FO came around he still wasn't ready, not playing would have been accepted a bit better, I think. People would understand. But this last minute thing? Its dumb.

CAM178 · May 15, 2008

daddy said:
Anyways she was not examplary mentally strong person as one may think judging from her as of late.

Oooh, great point. It's always best to judge someone's 10 yr career based on a few months towards the end. Well said, sir. . . .well said.

crazytennis · May 15, 2008

edmondsm said:
The only logical explanation is that he thinks taking some time off will give him a better shot at defending his grass points. If that's not the case then he's just being a tool.

Agreed.

edmondsm said:
We all have jobs, we all want time off, most of us don't have a choice. I'm up to my eyeballs in responsibilities and I would love to "put down the racket". Can I? No. And if I could I certainly wouldn't do it at the most important time of the year. "I'm completely burned out" he says. Well join the club buddy.

You said "Can I? No". What's stopping you ?
Gasquet has a choice because he is very talented in something people pay large amounts of money to see.

Gasquet has been playing tennis since he was 4. Well, I'd get tired if I'd been doing the same thing for 17 years , day in and day out. And, if he thinks he's burned out, he can definitely take time off, French or not.

WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis · May 15, 2008

I don't see why the hell not.

edmondsm · May 15, 2008

crazytennis said:
You said "Can I? No". What's stopping you ?

What do you mean "what's stopping me"? I've got bills to pay.

Gasquet has a choice because he is very talented in something people pay large amounts of money to see.

Yeah, he is a very gifted human being and like I said, he's being a tool.

Gasquet has been playing tennis since he was 4. Well, I'd get tired if I'd been doing the same thing for 17 years , day in and day out. And, if he thinks he's burned out, he can definitely take time off, French or not.

Please, cry me a river. These guys get to work 3 or 4 hours a day, make millions of dollars, and retire at age 30. Pardon me if I don't shed a tear for poor Richard whose had to play tennis his whole life. If he doesn't care enough to pick up the racket anymore then that's fine. If he is "burned out" from playing 47 matches last year (Federer and Nadal play twice that) then that's fine too. But he's still a tool.

Vision84 · May 15, 2008

daddy said:
Oh shut up with that - have you been there - argument. Please, we have only 99 other players from top 100 to look at and see how are they doing. Some of them play much more demanding style ( defensive, non shotmaking, waiting for mistakes from oponents, running all the time ) and played a lot more matches then Gasquet, yet none other complain. Fed played thru mono for crying out loud.

Just cause many other players are happy doesn't mean he has to be. I'd like to see how you would cope as your nations #1 and handle all the pressure (especially if you were French). That would be a laugh.

flyer · May 15, 2008

edmondsm said:
Please, cry me a river. These guys get to work 3 or 4 hours a day, make millions of dollars, and retire at age 30. Pardon me if I don't shed a tear for poor Richard whose had to play tennis his whole life. If he doesn't care enough to pick up the racket anymore then that's fine. If he is "burned out" from playing 47 matches last year (Federer and Nadal play twice that) then that's fine too. But he's still a tool.

Exactly, thank you, people always talk about how stressful it is and how hard it must be, yet the forget the positive sides of being tennis players, which there are many

edmondsm · May 15, 2008

Vision84 said:
Just cause many other players are happy doesn't mean he has to be. I'd like to see how you would cope as your nations #1 and handle all the pressure (especially if you were French). That would be a laugh.

Nobody knows how they would cope. But one thing is for sure, Gasquet doesn't cope very well. He's obviously scared to death that he might lose to some nobody in the first round of the French and he'll have to face the media after that. I don't doubt that it's sufficating to have such pressure placed on you and you alone. But it's in times of adversity that we show our true character and we are getting a good glipse at Richard Gasquet's.

flyer · May 15, 2008

Vision84 said:
No excuse? He plays tennis all the time. It is his life and has been for a long time. I don't blame him for needing some time off to not think about it for a while. Do you know what it is like to have tennis as your life to the extent of pro tennis player? Please enlighten me.

read my post again genius, i said he physically has no excuse for being burnt out....hes been playing much less than all the other top players and they are not "burnt out," mentally perhaps although hes not going through anything that any of the other young talents aren't, so even there i would extend my opinion that he has no excuse although i did not say so before, which is what you responded to

Lionheart · May 15, 2008

daddy said:
Well I'll take into account your age because lately in her career she did not show any significant signs of weakness, apart from retiring in the mid of career while on top. My guess is that the talk about her not wanting to win Wimbledon rather than it was her dream - pure crap.

Anyways she was not examplary mentally strong person as one may think judging from her as of late.

My age?
Mate, her mother died when she was very young and she still found a away to be a winner, not many do that, if any.

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