In a desperately gray sky, it embodies a magnificent corner of blue sky. Under the roof of the Suzanne-Lenglen court, Corentin Moutet took the public with him to achieve what no Blue – men and women alike – had achieved for four years: reaching the round of 16 of a Grand Slam at home . First in difficulty, then irresistible, he accomplished what he could have hoped for in the wake of his exploit in the first round against Nicolas Jarry. After the US Open in 2022, this is the second time he has gone this far in a Major. But between his New York adventure and this one, the comparison stops there.
“I’m super happy, I’m super proud. It’s a tournament that I’ve been watching since I was little. As French people, whether we follow tennis or not, it is a tournament that accompanies us in our youth, when we are at school or for those who are revising for their baccalaureate. I didn’t go that far. Often, we put Roland-Garros in the background. I was at boarding school between the ages of 12 and 15, we put it on TV while we trained. That’s kind of the goal for all of us. Roland-Garros is the image of tennis in France. It’s obviously a satisfaction to be in the second week here. I hope to go further, but it’s already a good step and I’m happy to be there“, said, moved, the fiery left-hander.
Annoyance, but don’t panic
Nothing was easy this Friday evening. Moutet was even in an unfortunate position, trailing by a set and a break. And his demons seemed to have taken over, seeing him scolding a ball boy or attacking his racket. But if the Frenchman was in a bad mood, it was not a bad sign, quite the contrary. It was rather the manifestation of a compelling desire to do well that he was able to channel little by little.
“I’m ambitious enough to want to winhe insisted. The main objective is to stay focused so as not to lose track. Of course it was annoying because I played pretty well and he impressed me: he hit hard on the backhand, served well, returned well… Even on the forehand, when I thought he was going to be more passive, it hurt me too. As soon as he started to enter the field, it was hard to find solutions, it went quickly. It was frustrating because it felt like it had to drop in level for me to breathe. We all get annoyed, some show it more than others, maybe it shows more on my face. It’s a balance to find between staying positive and not overdoing it so as not to lose energy..”
Moutet in fact knew how not to fall into euphoria either, even though the massive support of the public – who sang the Marseillaise several times – could have led him there. He owes this lucidity to a certain amount of experience now at the age of 25, but also and above all to the trials he has gone through recently. Due to an injury to his right wrist a year and a half ago, he was forced to let go of a backhand for many months, lost many matches, lost confidence and logically fell in the rankings (173rd in November 2023), before his hard work bears fruit.
My injury was hard on my mind, but it strengthened me
“It was hard to be one-handed, it was hard in the headhe recalled. Physically, the training was much more intense with this handicap. It was a really complicated time, but my team supported me, we got through this storm together. It’s hard because people questioned my choices. People had forgotten that I had this handicap, so when I lost a match and went down in the rankings, it didn’t seem normal to them, even though I was playing with one hand.”
And Moutet continues: “It was a complicated time, but I’m happy because it strengthened me. The goal was to find this second hand and it took longer than expected, but I knew we were working well and I knew it was a question of time. It’s never linear, no matter how much we work in the shadows, it doesn’t always pay off right away. You have to be patient and persistent.” He knew how to wait for his hour of glory. And it arrived.
