Sacred youth who do not respect their elders. But it is the law of sport where there is nothing like unbolting your idols. To see him seek the public in the last two games, Arthur Fils (18 years old, 163rd) was not particularly young. Richard Gasquet (36, 45th) may have played at home in a tournament he has already won three times (2013, 2015 and 2016), he could not cope with the completely uninhibited strike of the kid from the ‘ Essone.
“I was not strong enough to prevent him from directing the play. He hit harder than me and I did not feel the ball well, which was very heavy”, recognized Gasquet after the match. Lucid about his defeat, the Biterrois was also quick to praise his winner. “He plays well, nothing to say. He hits hard, he’s fast. He has a very good future, I’m sure. How far it will go, I cannot say. But he will go high. He has the right mentality and that is certainly the most important thing. »
“I have been watching Richard Gasquet play since I was very young. I would have signed every day for a win, that’s clear.”
This mentality, and especially the realization that he could do something, led Fils to a very good start to the season where he is now at 11 wins and only one loss. Admittedly, it was on the Challenger circuit, but it remains on a victory (Oeiras) and a final (Quimper). And he does not intend to stop in such a good way. “We will see the second round on Wednesday, but the objective is simply to go as far as possible”he let out a stern look.
On the other hand, when it was necessary to speak of Gasquet, the smile appeared, like the stars in the eyes. “I’ve been watching him play since I was little. I would have signed every day for a victory, that’s clear. » And when we talk about the age difference, he laughs outright. “18 years apart, I had never experienced this on a court. Besides, a Frenchman, besides Gasquet. Frankly, it was a great experience. Before the match, there was excitement and stress. But positive stress, with the desire to do. » And he did well. Despite the waste at the start of the match, he ended up imposing himself in force, pushing back Gasquet preventing him from bringing the ball to life. Son also had his plan before the match. “I knew that the long rallies were going to lean on my side and I tried to take him in this sector. » And Gasquet has shown his age.
But the Biterrois has enough bottle to put things into perspective. “It’s not a setback. Tomorrow, I will have forgotten. It’s tennis, that’s how it is. I’ve been playing long enough that this game doesn’t affect me anywhere. It’s boring to lose, but you have to start again. » His future will go through Rotterdam then Marseille before leaving for the US hard court tour. Son’s future is still in Montpellier, against Roberto Bautista-Agut, 24th in the world.
