Same Age, But Different
Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils, both 38, showed at Roland-Garros that age didn't play the same for all players. Also, De Minaur joins Ruud in the complaints wagon against the tennis schedule.
Welcome back! I hope you’re all doing well and that you’ll still care about the yellow ball in the next 48 hours despite The Football. In today’s edition, some musing about how 38 can look different on Tour when you compare Gaël Monfils to Richard Gasquet. Also, Alex De Minaur warns about how careers are at risk of being shortened, Shapovalov loses a rough one, and Zheng puts an end to Mboko’s run.
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Gasquet and Monfils: Same Age, But Different
They’re both 38 years old. They’re both PSG fans. They’re half of the Musketeers of French tennis (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon to complete the pack). They both got their Grand Slam runs and dreams ruined by the Big 4. Yet, at Roland-Garros, Richard Gasquet couldn’t wait to be done with professional tennis, while Gaël Monfils again looked like he could not wait to keep going. “I need to do something else,” said Gasquet, already planning his return to football fields, while Monfils told the press after his crazy night against Jack Draper that, with the way he feels physically, “I’ll play next year, it’s obvious.”
On Thursday, both somehow got what they wished for. Gasquet ended his career on Chatrier against World No.1 Jannik Sinner, and Monfils pushed Jack Draper so hard during the night session that he got confirmation he could still keep playing at this level. Both Monfils and Gasquet have defied the odds, as retiring from professional tennis at 38 is a remarkable achievement in itself. Yet, the contrast between them on Thursday, on the court, and in how they discussed this stage of their careers was somewhat fascinating.