It's the perfect ending for me," Gasquet reflects on his farewell in front of the Roland-Garros crowd

This Thursday, Richard Gasquet bid farewell to professional tennis on the Philippe Chatrier court at Roland-Garros after his defeat against world No. 1, Jannik Sinner.

The former world No. 7 reflected on his career and his final match during a press conference: "I love tennis, just playing it. Even as a kid, I could play at the club with my father, and I adored it.

To imagine doing it in front of a packed stadium like today—it's incredible. I've played my entire life in front of huge crowds, giving my all to compete and experience these amazing emotions against the greatest players on stages like Roland-Garros or Wimbledon.

I've been incredibly lucky to stay on the tour for so long; I have wonderful memories, but now, it's time to retire.

It's strange because I've done this my whole life, but one day, you have to stop—that's tennis. I'm very fortunate to do it on a stage like this, against the world No. 1; it's the perfect ending for me.