Already out in the first round in Montpellier, Richard Gasquet (37 years old) was eliminated on Monday as soon as he entered the ATP 250 tournament in Marseille in a duel of veterans by the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (35 years old): 6-3, 7-5.
Little helped by a weak serve (only 45% of first serves), Gasquet, 131st in the world, missed his chance to break his opponent several times in the second set, after a first set won without difficulty by the Spaniard. Bautista, 102nd in the ATP ranking, was able to rely on a more efficient entry (9 aces, 69%) to win in 1h51min. In the next round, the Spaniard will face the Russian Karen Khachanov (18th).
“It’s not tennis anymore”
After the meeting, in front of journalists, Gasquet notably complained about the quality of the balls. “I miss a lot of opportunities. But frankly on the court, the balls were very, very slow. It was monstrous, I have rarely seen that. The balls especially, it’s incredible. It’s not tennis anymore. Really. (…) Since Covid, there has been a problem with the quality of balls. Supermarket balls from the era. But really. These are the same balls as when I played at 10 years old. It’s no longer the same tennis as it was ten years ago. The balls have totally changed. »
Even if, obviously, this does not entirely explain this defeat. “There I didn’t play so badly but hey, I didn’t make the points I needed to make. I made the mistakes I shouldn’t make and took two sets. (…) He often caused me problems, often beat me. We know each other well, he knows how I play. »
