Richard Gasquet
June 18, 1986 — Béziers, France
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player celebrated for possessing arguably the most beautiful one-handed backhand in the sport — a weapon of artistry that helped him reach the semifinals of Wimbledon and the US Open, win 15 ATP singles titles, and achieve a career-high world ranking of No. 7.
Child Prodigy and the Backhand That Made Headlines
Born on June 18, 1986, in Béziers, in the south of France, Gasquet was placed on a tennis court at age four by his father, a tennis teacher. He was sensational almost immediately — at age ten, he defeated a future ATP professional in a youth tournament. French tennis officials treated him as a once-in-a-generation talent. At fifteen he became the youngest player ever to break into the French top 10. His one-handed backhand — struck with extraordinary wrist snap, generating topspin and flattening out at will — was already being discussed as a potential all-time weapon by the time he turned professional in 2002.
Grand Slam Challenges and ATP Success
Gasquet's finest Grand Slam results came at Wimbledon in 2007, when he reached the semifinals, and at the US Open in 2013, where he again reached the final four. Both times he fell short of a final — against Rafael Nadal in 2007 and Novak Djokovic in 2013. On the ATP Tour he won 15 singles titles and was a consistent top-ten player for much of the 2000s and 2010s. He defeated Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — the three men who dominated his era — on multiple occasions, and his Davis Cup contribution to France was substantial, helping the team win the tie-breaking rubber in several key clashes.
Did You Know?
Richard Gasquet served a provisional ban from tennis in 2009 after testing positive for cocaine — but was ultimately exonerated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which accepted his explanation that he had inadvertently ingested the substance by kissing a woman in a nightclub during a party. The case became one of the most closely watched anti-doping disputes in tennis history and established an important precedent regarding contamination claims.
Career Longevity and Legacy
Gasquet continued competing on the ATP Tour into his late 30s, remaining a dangerous opponent at any level despite declining results against the new generation of players. His longevity speaks to his exceptional technique — a game built on ball-striking purity that does not rely on the kind of extreme athleticism that deteriorates quickly. His backhand remains the stroke that television analysts most often cite when discussing the artistry still possible in the modern game. He is universally regarded as the greatest French tennis player of his generation not named Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and his one-handed backhand is likely to be studied by coaches and players for decades.