From May 22 to June 5, the best players in the world will defend the prestigious title of the Porte d’Auteuil tournament in Paris. But this year, with the announcement of the end of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s career, the withdrawal for injury of Gaël Monfils, the elimination in the qualifying phase of Pierre-Hugues Herbert or the future retirement of Gilles Simon, the ocher earth does not seem to smile at the French.
“Richie” is in great shape! At 35, the French player Richard Gasquet has just beaten, this Tuesday, May 17, the world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16 of the Geneva Open. He now has at least one win against all top 100 rankings (from 1 to 100). Holder of one of the most beautiful French prize lists with his 16 titles, including a Davis Cup in 2017, can Richard Gasquet rekindle the flame?
There was no doubt for the president of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moretton, to invite the former world No. 5, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, for his last Roland. The latter announced in a video published on April 6 his desire to retire from the courts after the Parisian tournament. “It’s been several years where every day I say to myself: What am I doing? Why am I hurting myself like this? “The 37-year-old tennis player indeed suffers from many physical problems…
Today 263rd in the world, Tsonga wrote the history of French tennis. He has 18 singles titles (including 2 in Masters 1000), 5 semi-finals and 1 grand slam final, 4 doubles titles and 1 silver medal at the 2012 London Games! This fifteenth Roland will be an opportunity for him “to say to himself: it’s the last thrill”, he whispers in the video, slightly moved.
Like Tsonga, his Davis Cup teammate, Gilles Simon (160th in the world), received an invitation to directly enter the main draw of the great French tournament… and this will be his last Roland!
At 37, Gilles Simon also decides to end his career at the end of the 2022 season. boyfriend 🙂 “. A doubt that was confirmed by his tweet of May 7.
It was a magical, wonderful and extraordinary adventure. It will end at the end of the year. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible. There is no sadness, no regret. Just the will to put everything I have left. On every game, until the end.
Alongside the “Four Musketeers” of the Davis Cup (Simon, Tsonga, Monfils and Gasquet), the Niçois marked the history of French tennis. He holds fourteen men’s singles tournament titles, was twice a grand slam quarter-finalist and once a semi-finalist in the 2008 Master Cup, a high point in his career!
The 21-year-old Toulousain revealed himself to the general public at Roland-Garros 2020: winner in 5 sets against the powerful Stanislas Wawrinka and defeated by the former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem, in the round of 16 of the tournament during an anthology match in 5 sets, Hugo Gaston holds high the hopes of his supporters and his coach for this new edition of the Parisian Grand Slam.
At the microphone of France Info, on May 13, Hugo Gaston testified to his determination for this 2022 edition: “I want to do well, in terms of results, I have ambition, I want to go as far as possible. And continued: “For two years, I have evolved as a player and as a person, now I manage to enter the tournament without an invitation but thanks to my ranking, so it’s already a good thing” , rejoiced the 68th player in the world.
Indeed, while the 33-year-old Frenchman (67th in the world) had not passed the first round of a tournament since January, accusing 11 consecutive defeats, he won, this Monday, May 16 at the Geneva Open, a great victory against the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori (7/5, 5/7, 6/4), ranked 61st. In the next round, he couldn’t do anything against Casper Ruud.
