2025 Tennis Retirements: Gasquet, Fognini and Edmund Say Goodbye to the Tour

Tomasz Wilk

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Last updated: Thu 11 Dec 2025 08:28

Tomasz Wilk 11 Dec 2025

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2025 marks retirements of Gasquet, Fognini & Edmund
Gasquet known for artistic play; Fognini for dramatic flair
Edmund retires early due to injury setbacks

Fabio Fognini is one of several veterans saying goodbye to the sport in 2025, marking a year of significant farewells in men’s tennis. (credit: Getty)

2025 Tennis Retirements Part 1: Gasquet, Fognini & Edmund Say Goodbye

2025 Tennis Retirements Part 1: Gasquet, Fognini & Edmund Say Goodbye
Richard Gasquet: The French Artist Who Played in the Wrong Era
Fabio Fognini: Mercurial, Maddening, Magical
Kyle Edmund: A Meteoric Rise Stopped Too Soon

As the new ATP wave keeps roaring forward with Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune, Shelton and the rest, the 2025 season has also become a year of goodbyes. Three long-serving, familiar faces have stepped away from the sport, and if you’ve followed men’s tennis over the past decade and a half, you’ll know exactly how much colour, flair and personality they brought to the Tour.

Richard Gasquet, Fabio Fognini and Kyle Edmund all walk away with very different legacies. One built his name on artistry, one on volatility and pure talent, and one on raw power. They could not be more different, yet each helped define an era that is quickly fading in the rear-view mirror.

This is Part 1 of our 2025 retirement series, focusing on three singles players who made a lasting impact in ways the trophy count will never fully capture.

Richard Gasquet: The French Artist Who Played in the Wrong Era

Richard Gasquet retires as one of the game’s purest ball-strikers, a natural talent whose one-handed backhand remains one of the most elegant shots of the century. Expectations followed him from his early teens, but inconsistency, dips in physical durability and the stranglehold of the Big Four kept him from reaching the heights many predicted for him.

A big part of that story shows up in his record against World No. 1s. Matches at that level demand complete conviction and front-foot aggression. Gasquet had the tools but not always the belief. After stunning Roger Federer in Monte Carlo 2005 in his first-ever match against a World No. 1, he never beat another top-ranked player again. Seventeen straight losses followed across two decades. A couple of breakthroughs in those moments might have changed how he saw himself in the sport, but they never came. It remains one of the defining "what ifs" of his career.

In almost any other era, Gasquet probably wins a Masters and plays a Slam final. Instead, he leaves as a beloved craftsman, admired as much for his feel and flair as for his results. His farewell at Roland Garros against Jannik Sinner felt more like a celebration than a goodbye, a nation tipping its hat to one of its most gifted players.

Gasquet Career Snapshot

Category	Record / Achievement
Total career wins	826
Singles titles	16 ATP titles + 13 lower-level titles
Career-high ranking	No. 7
Clay record	256–141
Hard court record	293–181
Indoor record	174–115
Grass record	87–48
Best Slam results	3× Grand Slam semifinalist
Record vs World No.1s	Won first match, then 17 straight losses
Years active	20+ seasons

Fabio Fognini: Mercurial, Maddening, Magical

With Fognini, even the word “mercurial” feels like an understatement. He was one of the most gifted shot-makers of his generation, capable of brilliance and chaos within the same service game. When he locked in, especially on clay, he could produce a level that rattled the very best.

That shows most clearly in his history with Rafael Nadal. For a decade and a half, virtually nobody touched Nadal on clay. Fognini managed it three times. That alone tells you everything about the talent he carried and why fans found him so maddening yet so irresistible. His career might not have matched his ceiling, but the fireworks were unforgettable.

Fognini’s Wins vs Nadal on Clay

Date	Tournament	Round	Score	Notes
15 Apr 2015	Barcelona	R16	6–4, 7–6(6)	Straight-sets shocker
10 May 2015	Rome Masters	R16	6–2, 4–6, 6–2	Beat Nadal in his “second home”
28 Feb 2015	Rio de Janeiro	SF	1–6, 6–2, 7–5	Wild comeback

Fognini Career Snapshot

Category	Record / Achievement
Total career wins	702
Singles titles	9 ATP titles + 11 lower-level titles
Career-high ranking	No. 9
Clay record	454–279
Hard record	151–165
Indoors	48–63
Grass	26–37
Signature title	2019 Monte Carlo Masters
Notable clay résumé	3 wins vs Nadal, multiple Top-5 scalps

Kyle Edmund: A Meteoric Rise Stopped Too Soon

Kyle Edmund arrived without hype but quickly proved he belonged through sheer firepower. His forehand became one of the heaviest on the ATP Tour, and in 2018 he looked ready to become a long-term pillar of British tennis. That season he reached the Australian Open semifinals, beat Novak Djokovic on clay in Madrid, climbed to No. 14 and took over as Britain’s No. 1.

For a while, the trajectory looked set.

But after 2018, injuries, most notably chronic knee issues, repeatedly halted his progress. Multiple surgeries and long layoffs stripped away rhythm and confidence. Despite years of trying to rebuild, he was never able to return to his peak. In 2025, at only 30, Edmund chose to retire, closing a career full of both promise and heartbreak.

Edmund Career Snapshot

Category	Record / Achievement
Total career wins	395
Singles titles	2 ATP titles + 13 lower-level titles
Career-high ranking	No. 14
Clay record	152–72
Hard court record	144–106
Indoors	72–29
Grass	21–31
Breakout season	2018 (AO SF, Madrid QF, 37–21 record)
Signature weapon	One of the Tour’s heaviest forehands

**Part 2 of this series will focus on the doubles greats and late bloomers who also said goodbye in 2025: Rohan Bopanna, Ivan Dodig and Tim van Rijthoven.