Richard Gasquet insists he is not the underdog ahead of today’s Wimbledon semi-final against Novak Djokovic, who stands between him and a shot at the trophy.
Among those into the last four in the men’s singles, Gasquet is the only one not to have won a Major. The others – Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – have 27 between them.
“It’s incredible to be in the same league as these three players in the world’s greatest tournament,” he told Agence France-Presse in a French interview.
“My record is less beefy, but I deserve to be in the semi-final. I’m not a nobody any longer.”
The 29-year-old Frenchman is looking to avenge his straight-set loss to the Serb in this year’s French Open.
He plans to beat the world number one by serving better and being more aggressive on the court.
“It’s up to me to play a great match in order to come out of it with no regrets,” he said.
Gasquet defeated Stan Wawrinka to set up the encounter, in a five-set thriller that had Court No. 1 enthralled.
The Frenchman took the first set 6-4 but was undone by his Swiss opponent in the second and third sets, until he triumphed 11-9 in the decider.
“I was relieved to win because emotions were running high,” he said.
Gasquet’s victory is all the more impressive considering that his Wimbledon campaign had been almost ruined by a back injury a few months ago.
He admitted: “When you are injured, you know that other people don’t expect you to play, to progress.
“Finding the rhythm again is hard, but I love tennis. It’s what gets me up in the morning to play.”
