A child prodigy who turned into one of France’s most loyal warriors, Richard Gasquet had the kind of career most tennis players dream about. And when he finally walked away from the game at 38, he picked the only place that made sense: Roland-Garros. It was the perfect ending. Gasquet beat Térence Atmane in his first-round match and earned himself a final dance against world number one Jannik Sinner on Court Philippe-Chatrier. But retirement didn’t last long. Just over a month later, Gasquet is back.

Richard Gasquet became a household name in France when he was just nine years old. Tennis Magazine put him on the cover with a bold headline: “Richard G. Nine years old. The champion France has been waiting for?” Since then, the Frenchman has played with style, poise, and one of the prettiest backhands tennis has ever seen. He reached three Grand Slam semifinals and made it to three ATP Masters 1000 finals. The only thing stopping him from going all the way was the era he played in. All six of those losses came against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer, “the big three.” Despite those roadblocks, he still made history. The 39-year-old has 609 tour-level wins to his name. That’s more than any other Frenchman in the Open Era.

At Roland-Garros this year, he said goodbye in front of his home crowd. It was emotional. It felt final. But now, Gasquet is picking up his racket again. And not just for anyone. He’s doing it for France. He’s back in action at the Hopman Cup, an international event where countries are represented by one male and one female player.

On Thursday, July 17, France started their Hopman Cup tie trailing 1-0 to defending champions Croatia. Chloé Paquet lost her singles match to Donna Vekic, 6-3, 6-3. Richard Gasquet, currently ranked 182nd in the world, will try to level things up in the evening match against Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic, ranked 177th. If he wins, the mixed doubles will decide the tie.

That’s what makes this comeback feel different. It’s not a return to the tour. It’s just a return to something he never stopped loving.

Richard Gasquet’s comeback is for the “love of tennis”

Richard Gasquet had already hinted at this kind of move after his Roland-Garros farewell.

“When I was a child, I did it. So now I will do it again just for the love of tennis and just to play tennis, you know, even if it’s not professional. There is still a life for me, even if I stopped,” Gasquet said. “I don’t know when or what I will do exactly in the future, but just to play tennis with friends, it’s enough. I’m just happy, as I said. I’m very lucky just to be in a good health now, even if I’m stopping and I’m 39 soon. I just like to play tennis.”

So, of course, he’s back. Of course, it’s for France. The 39-year-old has worn the French colors proudly throughout his career. He helped lead the country to the 2017 Davis Cup title and played a key role in the campaign. In 2012, he teamed up with Julien Benneteau at the London Olympics and won a bronze medal in men’s doubles by beating Spain’s David Ferrer and Feliciano López.

Richard Gasquet’s comeback isn’t about rewriting history. It’s about rewriting the goodbye. Is this the final chapter? Or just another detour in a love story that refuses to end?