Richard Gasquet suffered his ninth consecutive defeat on the main circuit, beaten by Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Open 13 (3-6, 5-7) in Marseille this Monday. Tough physically, Bitterois criticized the quality of this first ball for him since 2004.
Richard, did you lose in the first round here in Marseille with missed chances in the match?
I will miss many opportunities. But frankly on the court, the balls were very slow. It was monstrous, I have rarely seen it. Especially in balls, it is incredible. It’s not tennis anymore. indeed. I have little energy, little energy from time to time. This was not easy. Afterwards I did some shit on break balls. He also plays very well. That makes it 6-3, 7-5, fairly easy.
How do you feel about your game?
I played better than last week (first round loss in Montpellier, editor’s note). I didn’t play that badly there but hey, I didn’t make the points I needed to make. I made the mistakes I shouldn’t have made and took two sets. Not easy conditions, not much bounce, ball not going up.
Even then it was not easy for my game but today it is worse. He often gave me problems, often beat me. We know each other well, he knows how I play. This makes it not obvious.
And on a physical level, how did you feel?
I suffered a little in court, there were many rallies. Physically, it was difficult. With the court and the ball, it still makes it more physical. Tennis is a sport with this physical dimension, but there was a higher level. I found it difficult to beat the opponent, to keep him off the ball. It was difficult.
The quality of the ball has been coming back a lot in recent times…
Since covid, ball quality has been a problem. Supermarket balls of the era. But really. This is the same ball I played when I was 10 years old. It’s not tennis like it was ten years ago. The ball has completely changed.
Does this type of ball favor the player’s profile?
You have to kill. Those who hit harder have more control over that time. But hey, that’s no excuse. With the ball, ten years ago, I also lost many matches, but it is true that there is a real change.
In the end, it felt like you had a shock?
Yes, I was a bit done. Not easy… I played better than last week, but even that wasn’t enough.
