Chennai: Putting the days of doping allegations behind him, French tennis star Richard Gasquet on Saturday said he has come to the Aircel ATP Chennai Open with an aim to lift the coveted title.
In Chennai for the first time, Gasquet said: "I want to win here. I want to do well in Chennai and prepare for the Australian Open."
Gasquet, a former world number 7, won the 2007 Kingfisher Open in Mumbai on outdoor hard courts. The 23-year-old, who also won two titles on clay this year, told PTI he was comfortable on all surfaces.
"I like hardcourts and I've won a lot on it."
Gasquet found himself in trouble in June 2009 when he was provisionally suspended for testing positive for cocaine, but was later cleared of the allegation. The Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his explanation that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing a woman in a Miami club.
Gasquet, the fourth seed here, said it would be wrong to assure that the Rafael Nadal era has begun with the world no 1 winning three out of the four grand slams last season.
"Everybody can win. It's hard to say. It could be (Roger) Federer, Nadal anybody. It's 50-50," he said.
During the doping episode, Nadal had come out in support of Gasquet.
Meanwhile, third seed Stanislas Wawrinka's coach Peter Lundgren said he was pleased with his ward who is "open minded and open to criticism."
Calling Wawrinka an "all round, aggressive player," Lundgren said he had been working with the Swiss star on improving his serving and forehand.
"His backhand is his strongest weapon but we're trying to 'even out' his game," he said.
Lundgren also dismissed suggesstions that his former ward, Roger Federer, might be over the hill. "No, he's not finished yet," he said.
"As long as he plays, he'll be in contention for the Grand Slams. It's natural that you can't be the best all the time," he said.
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