Often mocked or denigrated by your friends or other Tsonga fans, you’ve never lost the faith. Deep down, you know that if you wake up at four in the morning during the Australian Open it’s for him; Richard Gasquet....
Often mocked or denigrated by your friends or other Tsonga fans, you’ve never lost the faith. Deep down, you know that if you wake up at four in the morning during the Australian Open it’s for him; Richard Gasquet. An eternal story.
…You searched high-and-low to find THAT cover of Tennis Magazine: “Richard G, 9 years old”.
…You prefer talent to ATP points.
…You know a guy who saw Richard beat Nadal. It was at the Little Aces tournament and they were both twelve years old.
…You realize that you say “it’s hard” more than ten times a day.
…You have a DVD of his crazy come-back against Roddick at Wimbledon. You watch it every three months, normally after a first-round defeat to a qualifier.
…You’ll never forget that for a so-called “lost hope”, he has been ranked seventh in the world.
…You moved to a one-handed backhand at18 years old.
…You don’t feel comfortable with the vodka/apple juice mix.
… The name Kristof Vliegen still makes you shiver.
…You were already watching him when he won against Franco Squillari at Monte-Carlo. He wasn’t even 16 yet.
…You too, understood that wearing your cap backwards maybe wasn’t such a good idea.
…You spend your holiday at Serignan.
…You wash you hair with Head & Shoulders.
… You love wearing a Lacoste polo, even during the winter.
… You’ve always refused to watch Miami Vice. Too many bad memories.
… You don’t understand why Forget didn’t pick him for the final of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas against Serbia.
… You still remember this backhand pass at match-point against Federer at Monte-Carlo in 2005.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTnXIMA0DXk
…You cross your fingers hoping that no other French player wins a Grand Slam before him.
…After reading over and over again that he is “the little Mozart of tennis”, you thought of trying classical music.
…After his victory in Mumbai in early 2007, you thought: “and what if this year were his year?”
…After his victory in Doha in early 2013, you thought: “and what if this year…?”
... You don’t like the matches in the last sixteen of the Grand Slams.
…You really don’t like seeing David Ferrer in his table.
…You shed a little tear when you saw him on the podium at the Olympics, even if it was only for a bronze medal in doubles.
…You know the names of all his coaches.
…You have no doubt about it. Your time will come, and so will Gasquet’s. The only question is when.
By Alexandre Pedro
