'Rafael Nadal beat me in a 'bullring' - there were blood stains on the floor!'

Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal were born weeks apart and were both touted for greatness as young tennis prospects. While the Frenchman won 16 career titles, Nadal became an all-time great, ending his career with 22 major wins.

Following their battles in the junior ranks, showed even greater dominance in their head-to-head record as pros. Gasquet suffered 18 defeats to his long-time rival without recording a win, despite being ranked No.7 at the height of his career.

likely would have feared facing Nadal at any point in his career, but particularly on clay. Nadal's astonishing record on the surface was demonstrated by his incredible 14 French Open titles.

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The 2011 semi-finals proved to be no exception, facing each other inside the Cordoba bullring. Matched against Nadal on his ideal surface, Gasquet suffered a bruising defeat that still lives long in his memory.

In a chat with fellow players David Goffin and Adrian Mannarino, Gasquet reminisced about the daunting challenge. "We played in the Davis against Nadal and Ferrer on clay," he shared with . This prompted Goffin to comment: "It's pretty much the best team you can imagine."

Gasquet suffered a heavy 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Nadal, while Ferrer also dispatched Gilles Simon with ease. The 38-year-old Gasquet vividly recalls the intense match, admitting: "It was like a bullfight. I'm telling you, they destroyed us. They won 6-3, 6-0... And with Jo, it was the same."

Despite a doubles win that gave France a glimmer of hope, Nadal restored Spain's advantage with a dominant 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Gasquet likened the experience of facing prime Nadal to competing in a bullring.

A small detail stood out to Gasquet and his team-mates as they stepped out to face the formidable Spanish team. "Just before going out to the court, we were laughing because there were blood stains on the floor; from the bullfights," he said.

"We knew it was a bad omen. At that moment, you think: today, we are the ones who are about to bleed."

Spain clinched the Davis Cup with a 3-1 win against Argentina in the final at La Cartuja in Seville, marking Nadal's fourth Davis Cup win, with a fifth to follow in 2019.

In an intriguing twist of fate, Gasquet shared his retirement plans on the same day as Nadal in October, a coincidence that didn't escape him.

Speaking to Midi Libre, as per , Gasquet found the timing amusing: "The probability was low... It's a pretty incredible coincidence," he said. "It made me smile, it was funny. I didn't expect it at all."

Gasquet has revealed that he will bid farewell to his career after the French Open in May. On the other hand, Nadal has already hung up his racket, having chosen to play his final match at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga last November.