Richard Gasquet bowed out of the Monte Carlo Masters after 23 years as the French hero lost what will be his final match at the iconic venue on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old who first played here 23 years ago as a teenaged qualifier – he beat Nikolay Davydenko in the qualifying first round – will wrap up his career at Roland Garros next month.
Gasquet took a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 second-round loss to German Daniel Altmaier, ranked 81st who had never won a main draw match at the event before this week.
The winner wrote “respect, R G” on the television camera lens in a post-match tribute to his opponent.
Gasquet is one of only two active players along with Novak Djokovic with more than 600 Tour match wins.
In 2005 he shocked then-No. 1 Roger Federer in a Monte Carlo quarter-final.
