The 34-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet reached a massive milestone on Monday, making him the fourth active player in the top 100 with 800 consecutive weeks! The Bezier native won ten out of 20 games in 2020 and retained enough points as of 2019 to stay in the top 50.
Roger Federer tops the overall rankings in the Elite 100 for 1,088 consecutive weeks, followed by Rafael Nadal, who finished a month ago at 900 weeks. Fernando Verdasco is on 858 weeks and Gasquet is now also in the “Club 800”, which only a few players have achieved since the beginning of the ATP ranking in 1973.
Richard cracked the top 100 in April 2005 at 18 and worked on various elements of his game in the years that followed to establish himself among the Tour’s most consistent competitors, scooping nearly 550 ATP victories and claiming 15 ATP titles from 31 finals .
A talented but injury-prone player could have achieved more, especially after nearly 250 wins at the Masters 1000 and Major levels combined. In addition, Richard had the opportunity to compete against 139 rivals from the top 10 who only got 33 wins without taking an extra step and challenging the world’s leading players.
Even so, he managed to win decent season after season for 15 years, good enough to set the ranking record that exemplifies his skills and abilities.
Gasquet reached the top 100 for 800 consecutive weeks
Richard underwent a groin operation in January 2019 and skipped the entire action as far as Madrid to suffer the most significant loss of rank in nine years!
After a slow return to clay, Richard reached the semi-finals in s-Hertogenbosch and advanced to the last four from Cincinnati for the best Masters 1000 result since Miami 2013. Gasquet could not repeat this form until the end of the season, still ended up in the top 50 and secured another season in this group after two solid results in the year behind us.
Richard started last season in Montpellier and was eliminated in the quarterfinals against Vasek Pospisil. He was also the quarter-finalist in Dubai, losing in straight sets to French compatriot Gael Monfils and spending the next five months at home after the coronavirus outbreak.
Richard couldn’t find form anymore when the season started again, losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in Cincinnati and Roland Garros and Alex de Minaur at the US Open in the second round after beating Ivo Karlovic in the first round.
Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Diego Schwartzman were too strong for Gasquet in St. Petersburg, Antwerp and Paris. The Frenchman found shape at the end of the season in Sofia, took advantage of a favorable draw and advanced to the semi-finals.
Richard finished 7th in 2007 after the semi-finals at Wimbledon, which he lost to Roger Federer. Active players with most consecutive weeks in the top 100 
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