Gasquet is honored for his thousandth match on the circuit

Madrid (Spain) – Despite the defeat suffered this Thursday, Frenchman Richard Gasquet was honored by the organizers of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. This is because when he entered the court against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who won by 6/2 and 7/5the 37-year-old veteran reached the milestone of 1,000 matches on the circuit.

“I’m very proud to reach this number, it means I worked very hard and very well. It’s no coincidence or luck to stay in shape for 17 consecutive seasons. Tennis is my passion and I fight every day to continue playing at the highest level. I don’t know if this will be my last time in Madrid, but I’m very proud of the route I’ve taken”, said the Frenchman.

Gasquet joined a very special club of active players who have surpassed the 1,000 victory barrier, led by Serbian Novak Djokovic (1,315) and also by Spaniards Rafael Nadal (1,291) and Fernando Verdasco (1,006).

Only 16 tennis players have managed to play at least 1,000 matches at ATP level, with the absolute record holder being the American Jimmy Connors, with 1,560 matches. Completing the top 3 are Swiss Roger Federer (1,520) and Czech-born American Ivan Lendl (1,311).