Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet announced on the same day, October 10, the official date on which they will officially retire from tennis. A particular coincidence between the two 38-year-olds, who have given life to one of the rivalries that has always pointed towards the Spaniard: in fact, the winner of 22 Slam titles has won 18 direct clashes out of as many matches played against the Frenchman.
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The most historic and attentive fans, however, will remember how Ruchard beat the king of the red clay on two occasions: the first time at 13 years old in 1999 at Les Petits As in Tarbes, in which the Frenchman managed to win 6-4 in the third set, and the other in 2003, at the Challenger of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Since their first professional encounter, a year later in 2004, the story has changed: Rafa has always prevailed until the last confrontation, played in 2022 at the US Open (6-0, 6-1, 7-5).
The topic was brought up during an interview with RMC, with the Frenchman explaining: "When we are 50, I will call him to try to play against him again. I will stay in shape and try to beat him!" Richard also spoke of having announced his farewell to tennis on the same day as Nadal: "I was the one who said it first!"
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The Frenchman, currently engaged in the qualifications of the ATP 500 in Vienna, will play his last event as a professional player at Roland Garros 2025. France will be ready to pay homage to one of the tennis players who contributed to the conquest of the Davis Cup in 2017.
