Richard Gasquet celebrates with the ASB Classic trophy. Photo / Dean Purcell
When Richard Gasquet wakes up this morning, he will probably still be shaking his head.
At the age of 36, the Frenchman thought his days of winning an ATP title were over, as he pondered a farewell year on the tour.
But not only did he win the 2023 ASB Classic final, against hometown favourite Cameron Norrie, he did it in remarkable circumstances.
Gasquet came back from a set down — and then a considerable deficit in the final bracket, when he looked physically gone at times — to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 27 minutes.
It was a brilliant match — just the sixth final in the past two decades to go the distance — with some captivating rallies.
“I wouldn’t think I would win a title now,” said Gasquet. “Last time I won, it was in 2018. I’m 37 this year. So when I came last week, if you told me next Saturday, you will win here, I wouldn’t believe it.
“It’s an amazing title for me. Especially now, at my age. It’s unexpected. I really didn’t think I would win again.”
To add to the special feeling, it was also the first time Gasquet had played in Auckland, after two decades on tour.
He was convinced by new tournament director Nicolas Lamperin — his former agent — to start his year in a different way, and it paid off spectacularly.
“It’s incredible, first time here and I’m winning,” said Gasquet. “I heard a lot about New Zealand. I’m a rugby fan, so coming here was special for me.
“I talked with a lot of French tennis players, French rugby players who came here, and they told me how special it was to be here.”
Gasquet, who made his ATP debut as a 15-year-old in 2002, is making the most of his twilight years.
“I have the passion of the game,” said Gasquet. “I really like to play tennis, I like to travel. I felt like a junior coming here for the first time. I don’t know how long I will play, maybe I will stop soon, but I will remember this title for sure.”
The world No 67 has enjoyed his Auckland stay — spending time with the local French community and sampling plenty of restaurants — as well as producing sparkling tennis. He was particularly impressive in his quarter-final victory over David Goffin, after losing the first set 6-1.
But yesterday was a new peak. Down 0-3 in the third set, he looked gone at 0-40, with Norrie sensing a double break. But Gasquet refused to buckle.
“I just wanted to win that game because you never know, he could feel pressure after it,” said Gasquet. “It’s always tough to close a match, especially in a final, so I told myself, ‘you have to win this game’. Anything can happen after that and then I felt more confident I could break him.”
Gasquet also trailed 4-1, before reeling off five successive games, breaking Norrie’s serve twice.
As the tension increased, so did Gasquet’s accuracy, hitting lines and corners from all areas of the court, while also being rewarded for some bold net charges.
He was slightly mystified by his comeback — “I don’t know exactly” — but said aggression was key.
The loss was tough for Norrie, who has been impressive this week — on and off the court — in his hometown tournament. The Aucklander was so close, after also reaching the 2019 decider.
The world No 12 dominated the first set, before a loose game in the second opened the door for Gasquet. The third was a thriller, but Norrie couldn’t press home his advantage, before things unravelled.
“That’s sport, he played better than me in the third set,” said Norrie. “I was exactly where I wanted to be, in a very physical match and he came up with the goods. At 4-1, I gave him a couple of cheap errors for one game and then he played well.”
While downcast, the 27-year-old was satisfied with his tournament.
“A great week, I had a lot of fun,” said Norrie. “It’s a long week with the weather, but I really enjoyed it and I hope a lot of New Zealand kids took some inspiration from it.”