Richard Gasquet to the top 10 despite losing to Andy Murray
French player Richard Gasquet has proven a lot ever since he was a junior player. Considered as a promising young star he lived up to his potential by barging into the top-10 at a very young age. He debuted in his Grand Slam debut in the 2002 French Open when he was 15 years old and amassed a solid record against top-tier tennis players. Altogether, he earned 6 titles and a slew of runner up finishes around his belt. However, the Frenchman has been hit with several issues such as addiction to drugs. On March 2009, he was tested positive for cocaine use and was provisionally suspended but was eventually cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December.
Known for his all-around game, he has been hitting the clay court this year fairly well. After withdrawing from the Movistar Open and the 2010 Brasil Open due to a recurring injury, Gasquet participated at the 2010 Copa Telmex, where he only made it to the first round, falling to Juan Ignacio Chela 6-7, 5-7 against. He was able to reach the 2nd round at the Abierto Mexicano TECEL HSBC against Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 5-7, 6-7 after slaying Carlos Moya 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round.
His powerful single-handed backhand and speed made him do better last April at the 2010 Grand Prix Hassan II where he bumped Olivier Rochus off in straight sets at 6-1, 6-1 and doubled the same score line in the 2nd round against Andrey Golubey before losing to Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-7, 6-4, 3-6 in a knotty three set match. The game was shortly followed by the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters where he only once again missed the 2nd round versus Tomas Berdych 2-6, 0-6 after taking over Daniel Gileno-Traver 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Gasuqet hit the bumpy road again at the Open Sabadell Atlantico, where he also was dispatched in the 2nd round by Fernando Verdasco 5-7, 3-6. Early this May at the Serbia Open, he advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Olivier Rochus 6-0, 6-1 and Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the 2nd round. However, his flair and shot-making ability still was not good enough against John Isner, who upset him 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 3-6. Gasquet lost a tiebreaker in the second set after a double fault and even if he started the third with a break, Isner was still able to subdue him.
The ATP Tour Challenger event in Bordeaux seemed to be his lucky charm this year. He easily defeated fellow French Thierry Ascione 6-3 6-1 in the first round and British Alex Bogdanovic 6-3 6-2 on the second. In the quarterfinals, this former World No. 7 won over Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-1 6-2 while in the semifinals he smashed Florent Serra of France at 6-2, 6-3. He turned victorious and claimed the Bordeaux Challenger title after a tough match with Michael Llodra of France 4-6 6-1 6-4 in the final match. He then continued his string of victory by winning over Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-0 in the 66-minute first round of the Open de Nice Cote d'Azur and grabbed another win against Oleksandr Dolgopolov 6-0, 2-6, 6-3. Gasquet successfully claimed his sixth career title against Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5) in the tournament.
At the Rolland Garros, Gasquet took fourth-seeded Andy Murray to the limit, by forcing a deciding set but eventually fall to the Briton 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. However, it seems that Gasuqet has already found his old grove and could be on his way to the top 10. It might be possible that he can even prove right British TV presenter Barry Cowan who named him as "naturally more talented than Federer” as long as he doesn’t cut his winning string and keep his power and precision tied with it.
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