‘I lost 18 times against Rafael Nadal – it’s a huge regret not to have beaten him’

ATP Tour star Richard Gasquet has admitted it was “horrible” to lose to Rafael Nadal in all 18 of the encounters – describing his failure to beat the Spaniard as a “huge regret”.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No 1, retired from tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November.
One of the most successful players in the history of the sport, few were able to match the Spaniard at the peak of his powers – especially on his beloved clay.
Only seven men played Nadal more than Frenchman Gasquet, who is the same age and is a close friend of the tennis icon.
Gasquet beat Nadal at the famous Les Petit As as a junior and came close to beating former world No 1 in their early ATP meetings, notably at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2005.
However, he would ultimately go 0-18 against the 22-time Grand Slam champion and admits to some regret over never beating his close friend.
“I lost 18 times against him, it’s horrible,” said Gasquet, speaking on the Super Moscato Show.
“I’m not going to sell you a false thing by telling you that it’s a pleasure. It’s a huge regret for me not to have beaten him. Now he’s gone – so I won’t beat him again.
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“I knew him since he was young, I wasn’t particularly afraid. I beat him at 13 [Les Petit As]. I thought I could beat him in Monaco [in 2005].
“After that, I had a hard time, he progressed, there’s no doubt about it. It became difficult. When you’re an athlete and you’ve never beaten a guy, it hurts.”
Gasquet will soon follow in Nadal’s footsteps and call time on his career.
A leading figure in a strong generation of French ATP players, the 38-year-old reached a career-high of world No 7 at the peak of his career, winning 17 ATP Tour titles and reaching three major semi-finals.
Gasquet’s career will come to its conclusion at Roland Garros next summer, and the Frenchman hopes to “have fun” across the final few months of his career.
He added: “I would like to play the Australian Open, then Montpellier. Then I hope Marseille, Monte-Carlo and finish at Roland-Garros.
“I am motivated to play well. I try to do my best to have a good level. You know that the end of careers is never easy. We saw it with Murray at Wimbledon and with Rafa in Malaga. It is never easy.
“For my part, I hope to achieve great performances and have fun.”
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