Gillo,
Yes, I take the liberty of calling you that, because I’ve had the chance to follow your career, for the most part, right in front of my eyes. I was in Shanghai when Novak loaned you (or gave you, we’ll never know) his socks the day before your Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Just as I was in Ostrava for your debut, somewhat missed, in the French Davis Cup team. Your 2nd victory in Marseille, against Gaël, 7-6 in the 3rd and the “kebab” won, your match on one leg in Bercy against Ljubicic, when you can beat him with drop shots (but not your specialty) … I remember everything like it was yesterday. I have so many other examples in mind, even untoldable stories, but at some point you have to move on, just like what you are doing now.
How can we forget the Madrid final?
The idea is not to retrace your entire career, which would take too long. But how can we not take some time to talk about this incredible year 2008? It was a mutant year, during which you played 78 games. You won the title in Casablanca where you beat four Frenchmen in five games, depriving Julien Benneteau of one of the ten titles he lost. So, you send yourself Indianapolis and finally Bucharest to finish. But you also did half in Toronto, where you beat Roger Federer, the first of your two wins against him in 2008. You also hit half in Rotterdam. And how can we forget the Madrid final which was then played indoors? That week you still beat Blake (11th), Andreev (20th), Karlovic (21st) and above all Rafael Nadal, who was therefore “el number one”. A phew game! With this match point challenge that opens the doors to the final.
Obviously the year 2008 ends for you in fireworks with a first qualification to the Masters. A victory over Roger Federer in the group (the famous second) and this cruel defeat in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, with this short cross pass that deserved much better.
Beyond the player you were, he’s the guy I’d like to talk about a little bit. You know you are not like the others. You are divisive and you never go numb. You’ve also released press releases that haven’t even left people indifferent.
Even with commentators you haven’t always been kind, but this self-defense practice is clearly a tight protection mechanism you have put in place. Of course there have been times when you have been able to annoy me a lot (as well as, for my part, I have been able to annoy you more than once). But when I think back to all the exchanges I had with you, like the most recent, on the pitch, at the Challenger de Pau, after your victory over Ruben Bemelmans, when I told you that your age you were starting to have enough experience and you replied “you too!”, I admit that I like it! I like your teasing side, hyper cynical, fragile, but also nice. It is difficult with you, of which I will keep very good memories.
Jérôme Potier, your coach at the time, had posted the National Training Center with leaves indicating the direction of the weight room.
2022 is a particularly difficult year in terms of career end. It starts to get heavy. Whenever one or one of you stops, it’s yet another slap in the face at the reality that I take in relation to the passage of time. First Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, then Serena Williams, then Roger Federer. And now you. We will miss you. We may miss it less, but after a while, I’m sure you’ll feel a little nostalgic too.
As a player, you have delighted us. You were that little guy for whom Jérôme Potier, your coach at the time, had posted sheets at the National Training Center indicating the direction of the weight room. Who could believe that one day you would become the 6th best tennis player on the planet? Certainly not me. You, on the other hand, I’m sure you’ve always believed in it and you’ve done well.
Before saying goodbye, I wanted to show you this interview that I came across and that, I find, is very representative of your character. We were young and beautiful …
Then I salute you Gilles (with a little advance, so as not to fall into the whirlwind of articles ready since you announced the end of your career).
I say goodbye to the tennis player, but I say goodbye to the man, because you are too passionate about this sport to stray too far from it.
And if you could end up “seeing”, as you like to say, at Bercy, that would be great.
Hi buddy.
