Talk to each other to encourage each other, vary the placements on the court and above all not project yourself: « malin »the Frenchman Ugo Humbert alternated old tricks and new things to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final on Friday.
“As soon as I get on the court, I try to treat myself to another moment on this Central”said the left-hander at a press conference after his victory against the Australian Jordan Thompson, synonymous with the last four.
“On the court I am ready for anything. So the solutions come to me, I’m never too worried”he added.
At 26, the 18th player in the world had the luxury of beating No.2 Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday – “the most beautiful victory of (his) career” – and to confirm with a new victory on Friday to clinch the first French semi-final at Bercy since that of Julien Benneteau in 2017.
But don’t ask the N.1 of French tennis if he now dreams of succeeding Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the last Frenchman crowned in the Parisian arena in 2008.
“I don’t really ask myself how far I’m going to go”warned Humbert even before the start of the tournament.
“When I play like that, anything is possible, we’ll see”continues the one who had so far failed three times in the quarter-finals of Masters 1000 (Paris 2020, Shanghai 2023, Monte-Carlo 2024), the most prestigious tournament category after the four Grand Slams.
The road to the semi-finals was certainly not without fears for the left-hander. In the first round as in the round of 16, Humbert emerged after tough battles in three sets.
In difficult times, Messin relied on a habitual technique at home: talking to himself to reassure himself.
Placement
Ugo Humbert in Bercy on November 1, 2024 / JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
“At times, I can let myself go and I feel that it helps me a lot to talk to myself”he confided on Friday.
“I do it out loud because I need to hear myself. It’s like I’m talking to my best friend, it’s something I found.”illustrated the French N.1.
In his “favorite tournament”the 18th in the world also made the most of the advantage of playing at home.
From his hard-won first round match to the final moments of his quarter-final, Humbert never stopped seeking public support.
“When there are times that are a little warmer, (…) I know that it can help and it can also make you break down” the opponent, he declared after his victory against the American Brandon Nakashima for his entry into the running.
“In the end that’s what happened, he made some big mistakes (…) I’m smart”smiled the Frenchman.
For several weeks now, Humbert has finally taken particular care in his positioning on the court when he has to receive his opponent’s serve.
“It’s incredible because I’m in Tokyo (September 25-October 1, Editor’s note), I’m training and (…) I tell myself that I’m going to try to move completely to the left” to return opposing services, to “see what it gives”.
Ugo Humbert in Bercy on November 1, 2024 / JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
“It came to me like that, in a training session,” he adds. By varying the placements on the court, “I saw that I gained a lot of points”explains Messin.
A new efficiency which gives the French N.1, never higher than 13th place, hope for an even better ranking.
“I almost spent the entire season in the top 20. There were a lot of new developments that I had to manage with my psychologist, with whom I spoke a lot. It was a step. Now I’m ready to go further.”Humbert had assured just before Bercy.
Or to put it more clearly: “Having a single-digit ranking is not bad. »
