By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Basel champion Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard toppled Frances Tiafoe in Paris then explained why his game is so lethal vs. Top 20 opponents.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Halloween hauntings and rollercoaster rides don’t scare Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The 6’8’ Frenchman continues to evoke fear factor in Paris.
Toni Nadal: Rafa Wanted One More Good Clay Season
Two days after Mpetshi Perricard’s inspired run to the Basel title, he continued his winning roll in Paris.
Mpetshi Perricard pounded 28 aces against 13 double faults toppling Frances Tiafoe 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3 to score his sixth straight win at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Wild card Mpetshi Perricard scored his first ATP Masters 1000 match win while raising his record vs. Top 10 opponents to 5-1.
The man with the wrecking ball serve and whipping one-handed backhand has been so commanding during this surge, Mpetshi Perricard has not dropped serve during his six-match winning streak.
“When I went to Basel, I tried to play one match at a time. I knew that I would do it well, because I knew that I could be fearsome on the hard court,” Mpetshi Perricard told the media in Paris. “It worked well. It suited me. I served well all throughout the week.
“I'm not saying that that's the week when all the stars were aligned because I managed to do that with a five winning streak, but I practiced this morning on the center court, just half an hour this morning.”
Today, Mpetshi Perricard won 56 of 61 first-serve points and often disarmed the lightning-quick Tiafoe by playing short rallies and denying the American rhythm. The Frenchman caught a break when Tiafoe, normally very sound at net, badly bungled a high forehand volley to gift the break and a 4-2 third-set lead to Mpetshi Perricard.
Top 20 success has infused the Frenchman with confidence.
“Yes, when you win against top-20 players and after riveting matches you manage to get the upper hand, well, it means that there is a lot of doors to open yet,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “And of course it boosts my confidence, my self-confidence, and then we can have new objectives.
“But I have to remain reasonable. I know that I can be very dangerous, because I have nothing to lose on such matches like this one.”
The 21-year-old Frenchman is a thrill seeker, who relishes trips to the fast line. Mpetshi Perricard says if he weren’t a pro tennis player he would have opted for a career as a theme-park tester or a Formula 1 driver.
Still, Mpetshi Perricard has learned it takes calm to play scary tennis.
A lucky loser at Wimbledon, Mpetshi Perricard reached the round of 16 at SW19 bowing to eventual-semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti. Following that breakthrough run, he struggled to a 1-4 record through the North American hard-court season.
Perspective, the experience of coach Emmanuel Planque and his unwavering belief that he can disarm opponents has infused the Frenchman with the confidence he can dictate play against the elites.
“And players start to fear me, but I have to remain focused on my level of play, on my tennis, because I'm the one dictating the outcome of the match,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “If I don't play well, then it won't work out. It's not the same thing on court and on paper. I need a solid mental state, not only mental but also physical state.”
Next up for Mpetshi Perricard is Russian Karen Khachanov.
Though he’s risen to a new career-high ranking of No. 30 in the live rankings, Mpetshi Perricard says his focus is results–-and improving—rather than ranking.
“I’m not thinking about the ranking. I was thinking rather about tournament wins,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “I was focused on winning matches. I was focused on how my level of play would improve, how I could beat top-20, top-30, top-40 players.
“Ranking is rather second in my objectives. This is what Manu taught me. It's the way in which you think on and off court that is important. It has changed completely my mindset. Now I'm focused more on improving rather than on getting results.”