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London - Richard Gasquet will relish every moment of his Wimbledon victory over French Open champion Stan Wawrinka because reaching a grand slam semi-final is something that does not come round very often.
The 29-year-old Frenchman stunned an enthused Court One crowd with a spirited 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-4 11-9 quarter-final win on Wednesday, eight years after he last made the final four here.
"I'm very proud. It's these moments that stay with you," Gasquet said. "I'm here so I want to enjoy the moment."
Gasquet, whose only other grand slam quarter-final appearance was in 2013 at the US Open said he appreciated his achievement much more than in 2007.
"I'm older, I've a lot more experience and I know what it means," he said. "When you see the line-up of (Roger) Federer and (Novak) Djokovic and (Andy) Murray then me - well I'm amazed."
Gasquet produced some exquisite drop shots and volleys as well as whipping his trademark backhand down the lines to beat the powerful Swiss Wawrinka.
"It was emotional for me," he said. "For a start he won in Paris and I'm French - I know what it means in France," he said. "And now this is the biggest tournament in the world."
Gasquet's next hurdle is top seed Djokovic, however, the man who crushed him in three rapid sets at Roland Garros last month.
Wawrinka, who beat the world No 1 in the Paris final, looked doubtful when asked whether Gasquet stood much chance against the defending Wimbledon champion. "Very, very tough," he said.
Gasquet would not be downhearted though.
"It's important that I play a better match than I did in Paris. I'll try to be very aggressive. On the mental side I need to believe I can win."
