"Rafael Nadal is a legend, a freak, probably the greatest of all time" - Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet recently heaped lavish praise on Rafael Nadal, and even suggested that he was the greatest player of all time.
Nadal pulled off a stellar comeback to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final on Sunday, winning a record-breaking 21st Major in the process. Against that background, Gasquet called the Spaniard a "freak" and highlighted how he was able to beat everyone despite coming off a long injury break.
"Nadal is just too strong," Gasquet said during his appearance at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. "Words are missing. Unprepared, he's still the best. Shapovalov, Berrettini and Medvedev are strong but he's a legend, he's a freak."
"I'm not surprised obviously," the Frenchman added. "Who can beat him apart from Djokovic in Paris? That's Nadal, probably the greatest of all time."
A long-time mate has a word to say. #Nadal #AusOpen2022 https://t.co/WjNLjIkwHL
Rafael Nadal has now won two Australian Open titles, making him only the second man in the Open Era (after Novak Djokovic) to complete the Double Career Grand Slam. He is widely considered the favorite to triumph at Roland Garros this May, which would put even more distance between himself and his two rivals in the Slam race.
Richard Gasquet in the last 16 of the Open Sud de France
Richard Gasquet, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, is currently enjoying something of a late career resurgence himself. The Frenchman competed at the Australian Open and beat compatriot and 29th seed Ugo Humbert in four sets.
He faced Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round, and even won the opening set. However, the Dutchman took the second set and ended up progressing to the next round after Gasquet was forced to retire in the third.
After his first match at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, Gasquet claimed he was glad to play in a familiar environment.
"I'm happy to play in Montpellier," the World No. 75 said. "Motivation is easier to find here in a room I know with lots of friends."
« Je suis heureux de jouer à Montpellier, la motivation est plus facile à trouver ici dans une salle que je connais avec beaucoup d’amis » @richardgasquet1
Gasquet, who has won the Open de Sud a record four times, started the tournament by beating Humbert again - this time in three sets (6-7, 6-4, 6-3). He now takes on South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo for a place in the quarterfinals.
Speaking about the upcoming match, Gasquet said:
"Kwon is a good player. It's going to be difficult, but I'm going to recover well and I'm going to do my best to win this."
A win for Gasquet could see him face either third seed Gael Monfils or Sweden's Mikael Ymer.
The last 16 of the Open de Sud France features a number of experienced French players. Those include the 35-year-old Gasquet, the 36-year-old Monfils, the 36-year-old Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the 37-year-old Gilles Simon.