From the tender age of nine, Richard Gasquet has been touted as a future World No. 1. His game is so technically complete that he has been dubbed 'Baby Federer,' and at 21 he is one of just three active players to have won titles on all surfaces. He finished 2007 ranked No. 8, yet some French fans still doubt he is destined for greatness.

As a bookend to his breakout year in 2007, it was not the grand finale that Richard Gasquet had in mind.

With a shot at the Tennis Masters Cup semifinals at stake, the young Frenchman suffers a crushing 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Spanish revelation David Ferrer. Gasquet is as groggy as a boxer reeling from an uppercut as the French media bombard him with questions. "What can I say? Ferrer is the toughest player for me to face. I'd rather play Federer or Nadal," says the 21-year-old native of Sérignan, a small city in the south of France known for its laid-back attitude, warm hospitality and passion for rugby.

After an inspired debut in Shanghai, which saw him force Nadal to three sets, then outplay world No. 3 Novak Djokovic, Gasquet looked every bit a Top 10 player before being humbled by the rampaging Ferrer. Asked whether finishing a career-best No. 8 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings was the realization of a lifelong dream, Gasquet, seemingly a little irritated, replied: "Yes it is! It's not my ultimate goal, but a dream come true, yes, absolutely. I don't care about people who think that I should be higher ranked, and that I'm not fulfilling my potential. It's great for me, my parents, my coach, and those close to me because, believe me, reaching the Top 10 is anything but easy."

Like Tim Henman, who throughout his career was criticized in Great Britain for failing to win Wimbledon, Gasquet is the victim of a reputation he developed at an extremely young age: that of a potential world No. 1. At age nine, he was featured on the cover of France's Tennis magazine with the caption: "Is Richard G the champion France is eagerly waiting for?"

The tone was set - at least in the eyes of tennis fans. Privately, the Gasquet family knew his path would be long and hard. "In spite of his exceptional results back then, he never became big headed. He never took those results as a guarantee that he would make it on the professional Tour," says his father, Francis.

Gasquet captured the junior titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2002 at age 16 and soon after was crowned Junior World Champion. Earlier that year Gasquet became the youngest player in more than 10 years to win a main draw ATP match when, after advancing from qualifying, he took out World No. 54 Franco Squillari in the first round of Masters Series Monte Carlo. He was just 15 years, 10 months old. Many viewed that victory as his long-predicted professional breakthrough. But Gasquet wasn't yet ready to find his way on the ATP Tour. Physically his body was far from strong enough to sustain the demands of playing at that level week-in-week-out, and the weight of expectations took its toll.

And, as a growing boy competing in a man's arena, injuries didn't spare him. When, on a few occasions, he wilted before the conclusion of hard-fought matches because of exhaustion, extreme heat, or physical distress, he was quickly labeled a quitter. In the eyes of French fans, Gasquet's fragility did not compare favorably with the iron man feats of Rafael Nadal, just 15 days older than Gasquet, but with a body of a hardened veteran.

"The comparison with Nadal was not always easy to accept, but it motivated Richard to set even higher goals for himself," Gasquet's father says. Francis taught his son the basics of tennis with a technique so pure that Gasquet was quickly dubbed the "Mozart of French tennis." "He was always so intent on reaching technical perfection, that sometimes he was making things harder for himself," says Francis. "A few years ago, he played very well in the South American clay swing, and I was able to get the tape of his best matches. We watched them together, and I was surprised at how disappointed he was at seeing himself missing a forehand here or there."