January 25th, 2009
How many times will Richard Gasquet break my heart? In tennis there are usually a handful of players with the skills and physical gifts to be champions. Non-physical factors separate these players from the champion: work-habits, circumstance, timing, luck. But the head counts for so much–I fear that by this point, Gasquet is so far gone that he’ll never win a major. It’s crazy: Gasquet has top-5 talent. He’s a brilliant shot-maker, the best serve and volleyer left in the game, he has amazing feet.
And for my money, his game is, Federer excepted, more fun to watch than anyone on the tour. It’s a thing of beauty.
But having match point in the third, going to a fifth, holding serve, but blowing 5 break points, and then losing 12-10? This is the type of loss that haunts you your entire career.
In fact, I suspect you can trace today’s defeat to Gasquet’s similar collapse at Wimbledon against Murray last year.
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