The Djokovic affair had almost made us forget the little joys of everyday life during the Australian Open when, from France, we open our eyes early in the morning to discover a victory for Richard Gasquet. And even if for that it is Ugo Humbert who must pay the price. Yes, Gasquet, 81st in the world, won the second Franco-French duel of the 1st round of the Australian Open by beating his compatriot and 40th in the world 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 ( 7/3), 6-3, Tuesday in Melbourne.
The Biterrois did not forget to thank a good friend of his: the wind. “Ugo was the favourite, but the wind played a lot,” admitted Gasquet. The conditions for me are very important. They were perfect and I played tennis well, without making mistakes, hitting hard on both sides while serving well. And it was blowing a lot. In the wind, I am one of the best. I love that. If I only played a circuit with the wind, I would be Top 15, top 20. I was born in the wind, in Hérault. »
An unexpected victory after a week of isolation
This result is enough to delight our national Richard, he who spent a week in isolation on his arrival in Australia because of the Covid. “Honestly, I didn’t do any preparation. Catastrophic. Seven days in the bedroom, I was really fed up. Every twenty minutes I looked at the time. I arrived without landmarks, without any match, he confided. I played an hour a day since, I was quickly tired. It was hard to recover, even mentally. It’s a very big surprise to win this match, it’s even unexpected. »