The law of series.
“
No one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.
By putting an end, on January 12, 1980 in the semi-finals of the Masters in New York, to a long series of defeats against Jimmy Connors, one of his main tormentors, Vitas Gerulaitis exults.
The proud New York playboy with legendary eccentricities will fall on the next step.
Defeated by Björn Borg who will have the particularity of having beaten him… seventeen times.
The Swede having one of the longest winning streaks against a player.
To discover
US Open: men's schedule
US Open: ladies' schedule
A series that will be matched by Ivan Lendl against the American Tim Mayotte, Roger Federer against Mikhail Youzhny (during a new one-sided meeting, the Russian had, in the middle of a match at Wimbledon, asked a spectator for help named Andre Agassi to try to stop the insolent success of his rival) and David Ferrer (attractive as hell but unable to find the key, the Spaniard once confided the Spaniard to the ATP website "
Federer was changing the pace and drove me crazy
").
And Rafael Nadal against… Richard Gasquet.
Novak Djokovic who likes to chase records having beaten Gaël Monfils 18 times in 18 matches...
In the 3rd round in New York, Richard Gasquet will find an old acquaintance for the 18th time.
Rafael Nadal.
They grew up together.
“
I know him very well, he knows me very well.
We have a great common history.
We've known each other since we were 12.
I am very happy that he has become competitive again.
I will do my best
, “summarized Rafael Nadal, after painfully eliminating the Italian Fabio Fognini.
Their complicity and their common history meant that Rafael Nadal wrote the preface to Richard Gasquet's book ("
A reverse and against everything
", Stock editions, written with Franck Ramella).
The Spaniard pointed out:
What has always amazed me most about Richard Gasquet is his old-fashioned style.
I like his game because he really knows how to play tennis.
And believe me: it has nothing to do with just kicking a ball trying to win the point.
In modern tennis all players try to multiply winning strokes regardless of their position.
Richard, on the other hand, cultivates a classic style of tennis.
He can go up to the net, slicer, lifter, enter the court, or conversely wait to distribute the right shot.
In short, Richard knows how to build a point on any surface.
»
Between admiration and nightmare during a series of confrontations launched in Estoril in 2004, Richard Gasquet (36 years old; 91st in the world) who applies and has fun at the moment to go back in time must return to 2008 and a quarter of final in Canada to find traces of a set torn from his rival.
He has since taken 31 sets which show the magnitude of the task awaiting the Frenchman who beat his rival in… the quarter-finals of the Tournoi des Petits As in 1999 (6-7, 6-3, 6-4).
They were 13 years old.
Before their last face to face, at Roland-Garros in the 2nd round in 2021, Richard Gasquet had dropped: ""
It's such bullshit that I'd rather not hear it again, I've heard it thousands of times maybe… “But you beat him at 13…” Yes, already 6-4 in the 3rd , it was not easy.
I heard it a lot, it's like that, it's part of me.
I know.
It's good that I was compared to Nadal in the end.
Looking back, that I have been compared to the greatest player of all time, perhaps, is certainly flattery.
At first, I didn't take it that way, but as time goes on, in fact, I tell myself that it's not so bad.
»
At the time of the reunion, Rafael Nadal assures: “
Regardless of the past, it is a chance for both of them to pass in the round of 16 and I will have to play a little more at the level where I play in training. .
“He who, slowly (in New York, he lost the 1st set against the Australian Rinky Hijikata, then against Fabio Fognini) but surely is gaining momentum in the tournament.
Never a good sign for his rivals.
Richard Gasquet knows it but he will cling to a slim hope.
As Vitas Gerulaitis knew how to do…
