Richard Gasquet was schlacked today by Tomas Berdych at the Monte-Carlos Masters, 6-2, 6-0. Let's first give Tomas credit as he's been on a tear lately. This guy has been underachieving for years but now seems to get it and is clicking on all cylinders.
Okay, back to Richard. Once dubbed "Le Roi" (the king) at this very tournament for beating Federer (2005) when he was nearly unbeatable, Gasquet isn't a shadow of his former himself. If you're not familiar with the back story on him, he was one of the youngest competitive tennis players in ATP history and consistently was in the top 10 for a while. Last May, he was caught with traces of cocaine in his system and was suspended from the tour. Turned out, he got it from a girl he was kissing and was able to come back and play after three months. THREE MONTHS, that's it, not that long to be away from the game.
Since then, he's been a mess. He's gone from top 10 to 75th in the world. Not bad you say? Well he's had almost 9 months to regain any kind of form. It's not like he just came back, he's been playing the entire year and a good chunk of last year. There hasn't been a lot of coverage on his struggle but I'm calling him out. He needs to get his head in the game or he might disappear forever.
So, here's my message to him: Richard, you were good, you were only gone for three months. No more drifting through these tournaments, you need to show that you still care and can play. You were the best player in France, now you're the 11th. Don't be the guy who peaked at the age of 16.
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