Richard Gasquet recalls how Rafael Nadal supported him during drug saga: ‘It meant a lot to me’
Richard Gasquet has recalled when Rafael Nadal supported him after a positive drug test and revealed it was a gesture that “meant a lot” to him as he was “at rock bottom.”
The French star tested positive for cocaine in March 2009, during the Miami Open, and was provisionally suspended in May that year.
Gasquet was cleared to return to tennis in July 2009 after he was given a backdated ban of two months and 15 days by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
An independent tribunal accepted Gasquet’s explanation that the cocaine had entered his system “through inadvertent contamination” after he kissed a woman in a Miami nightclub.
Nadal strongly defended Gasquet when asked about the saga during the 2009 French Open.
“I support him. I’m certain that he’s not taking anything,” Nadal said.
“He’s a good friend of mine and I discussed this with him last week and he’s most certainly not taking cocaine.
“You know what the world is like today. You go to a party… if you kiss a girl who’s taken cocaine, anything can happen. This can destroy your career and this is most unfair.”
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Gasquet and Nadal competed against each other from their junior days and played 18 times on the ATP Tour — with the Spaniard winning on every occasion.
In an interview with Eurosport France, Gasquet spoke about his relationship with Nadal and revisited his long-time competitor’s support for him over his failed drug test.
“He’s 15 days older than me, I’ve known him since I was young, we played at Petits As (a prestigious junior tournament in France), we’ve spent our entire careers together,” the former world No 7 explained.
“And, yes, at a time when I wasn’t very, very well, in 2009, he really supported me and publicly. It was something that was huge for me at a time when I was at rock bottom.
“I could hardly be worse, and he was there and it gave me energy and made me happy that a guy like him made that gesture. It meant a lot to me.”
Gasquet and Nadal announced their respective retirements from tennis on the same day in October last year.
Nadal brought the curtain down on his career at the Davis Cup Finals in November, while Gasquet will step away after this year’s French Open.
