“He’s going to be a nightmare for many players for many years to come” : John Isner believes Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is the real deal
Not Ugo Humbert, or Arthur Fils, but young tennis star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has been the most talked about French tennis player this year, who has broken through the ranks so rapidly to the surprise of everyone.
Standing at almost 6’7, the 21-year-old has had an outstanding season where he won his first ATP title at the Lyon Open in May and secured his second at the Swiss Basel Indoors Championship beating Ben Shelton all while becoming the lowest ranked champion in the history of the tournament to do so. This leapfrogged his ATP ranking from 205 to now the world no. 31.
Fans and players are vividly impressed by the Frenchman, with Andy Roddick even going so far to say that he will change tennis, after his clash with Shelton.
“Perricard is the first guy, who can statistically responsibly just hit two first serves.
“This guy was going 145mph first serve, 130mph second serve, he was hitting second serves in the second set breaker against Shelton trying to win a tournament at 142mph.
“It’s a joke, it’s different.” Andy Roddick said on his podcast.
But tennis icon John Isner recently revealed that his initial meeting with the Frenchman revealed room for growth.
“I just remember thinking his backhand was really bad” : John Isner on Mpetshi Perricard’s early development
Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, the American remembered his time with the young star who was assigned to warm him up before his clash at the French Open. Isner revealed that the Frenchman’s backhand was not good at all but the forehand and serve were his strong points.
“He warmed me up at the French Open, like years ago, I just remember thinking his backhand was really bad but he could crack the ball on the forehand and his serve was obviously huge.”
“It’s not actually that surprising for me that he did what he did last year.” John Isner’s thoughts on the Frenchman.
The 21-year-old’s breakthrough year has also put him up for nomination of the ‘Most improved player of the season’ alongside Jack Draper, Thomas Machac, and Alejandro Tabilo. But Isner believes the Frenchman should be the clear nominee to take home this award.
“I’m going with GMP [Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard], it was a no-brainer for me, he came from the top 200 to close to the top 30 right now, so he is my answer.”
“Winning a [ATP] 500 is a huge result, he’s not going anywhere, barring health, he’s going to be a nightmare for many players for many years to come.” the 39-year-old added.
Isner’s faith in Perricard’s future underscores the potential for the young star to make a significant mark in tennis history.
