Not to mention that the ATP French veteran was slightly irked by this question. But why? Well, he\u2019s been asked the same thing on many previous occasions.\u00a0\u201cI cannot tell how many times I was asked this specific question: Why is he so special? I mean, come on, just look at him, just watch him on TV, and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n However, Richard Gasquet did give the credit to Rafael for his exceptional skills. The Frenchman showered praise on the Spaniard\u2019s clay court dominance at the French Open.\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s won 14 times Roland Garros. Just imagine that figure. Not even in sci-fi, you couldn\u2019t win Roland Garros 14 times, and yet it was done by him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal both started their careers at the same time. In the last decade, he would be compared with the Spanish player. It\u2019s because there were lots of expectations from Richard when he turned pro. Many believed he would be the next big thing in the world of tennis. Sadly, things didn\u2019t turn out his way. On the other hand, Rafael went on to create history with his remarkable performances in every successive season.<\/p>\n Although he\u2019s not won any major trophy so far, Gasquet is still hopeful. That\u2019s probably the reason why he\u2019s decided to give his final shot at the French Open in 2025. Interestingly, he\u2019s only one of the few pros who are still playing despite nearing the mark of 40. During the press conference, Richard reflected on this aspect as well. Plus, he also commended the big three, including Nadal, for an unbelievably elongated professional run.<\/p>\n Gasquet emerged on the professional tennis scene almost two decades ago. Since then, only few players have managed to extend their careers in the best way possible. On top of the list are his contemporaries like\u00a0Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. The trio succeeded in pushing themselves further to keep playing for a longer period than usual in the sport.<\/p>\n When asked about being one of the few remaining active players approaching 40, he said, \u201cWell, you know, I couldn\u2019t say. I\u00a0<\/em>guess, yeah, I think \u2014 well, there was Connors as well before, but there were not that many players who were 35 who could play so long. Rafa, who won at 36. Novak, Federer. It\u2019s unfathomable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tennis and Rafael Nadal have become synonymous with each other. There\u2019s something unique that makes Rafa special and popular. But what is it? Well, it\u2019s not an… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/image-cdn.essentiallysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-966124512.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nRichard Gasquet praises Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer on their extended careers<\/h2>\n