Former World Number seven Richard Gasquet was recently seen swinging his tennis racquets at Ultimate Tennis Showdown in France. The matches of the tournament had a time limit barrier, on-court coaching was permitted and tennis was depicted in an amusing manner. In general, the traditional game has long matches, a complex scoring system and players are all by themselves.

The Frenchman Gasquet reflected on the lengthy matches in tennis. He mentioned it’s ‘tiresome’ to watch those marathon matches consisting of 4 to 5 sets of play.

Even when the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are locking horn with each other, Gasquet is exhausted after watching 90 minutes of their showdown. Tennis has an arsenal of epic matches that are also termed as the ‘marathon matches’. Those matches are cherished, and tennis fans rejoice by watching its replays. However, Gasquet seems to have a different perspective. 

“I don’t know if there is someone who likes tennis more than I do, but I can’t watch Roland-Garros anymore, I can’t watch 4 or 5 sets, even for a Federer vs Nadal. When you’ve been watching for 1.20 hours, it’s 7-6 and 0-1, I’m cooked. It’s tiring,” Richard Gasquet told L’Equipe.

“There are a few things to think about to shorten playtime” – Richard Gasquet

World Number 50 Gasquet further highlighted the regulations of UTS and mentioned that they should be implemented in traditional tennis to make the sport amusing, and marathon matches should be avoided. He stated that the game must provide more ‘more freedom’ to the players. 

“We are the only sport where you play for more than four hours. There has to be more freedom. Fewer pretensions, being able to talk to the coach, listen to what your opponent says can be pretty good. There are a few things to think about to shorten playtime,” he added.  (Quotes have been translated)

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At Patrick Mouratoglou’s event, UTS Gasquet lost in the semifinals to the ultimate champion Matteo Berrettini. The Frenchman was delighted to be part of the tournament. He shared it was perfect for ‘regaining sensations’ and no training could replace the matches played at UTS.