It has largely been a season to forget on the health front for 31 year-old Richard Gasquet. The veteran Frenchman may have enjoyed last gasp success with his teammates in securing a Davis Cup win for France last month. However, the former Wimbledon and US Open semi-finalist has struggled with injury and illness throughout the 2017 season.
His season was hit by an urgent case of appendicitis that required surgery around the time of the Indian Wells Masters. A thigh injury forced his retirement against fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils at the French Open, before a back injury caused him further trouble later in the year.
Gasquet has now been forced to withdraw from a planned exhibition event in Caen, this time with a rumoured abdominal injury. There is no suggestion that Gasquet is in any danger yet of being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open. There is still more than a month to go before 2018’s first Grand Slam gets underway in Melbourne. Historically Gasquet’s weakest Slam, he nonetheless has made the Round of 16 on a number of occasions Down Under.
The Caen exhibition event will still boast a strong line-up. Spaniards David Ferrer and Roberto Bautista-Agut are both expected to take part. Benoit Paire, Jeremy Chardy, and the recently retired Paul-Henri Mathieu are all set to represent the home country in the field. 2016 Junior Roland Garros winner Geoffrey Blancaneaux is a wildcard entrant, in what is surely his first test against some of the elite stars of the tennis world.
