It was already five years ago. At the age of 21, Ugo Humbert, then 66th in the world and making full progress – he had appeared in the Top 100 a few months earlier – was the last Frenchman in the running (with Benoît Paire) in the round of 16 at Wimbledon. He notably offered his illustrious elder Gaël Monfils in the 1st round as well as Félix Auger-Aliassime in the 3rd, before falling on the man who would then win his 5th title at the All England Club, Novak Djokovic. The layouts shown were promising. He generally confirmed them subsequently, but not in the Grand Slam.
Because Humbert has not reached the second week in a Major since, 18 unsuccessful attempts. However, at the same time, he has won 6 titles in the last five years on the circuit, including two in 2024. And against the members of the Top 10, he is doing better than defending himself because he is almost balanced with 12 victories for 14 defeats. During his two ATP 500 coronations on the turf of Halle in 2021 and on the hard court of Dubai this year, he each time hooked two members of this very exclusive club on his hunt: Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev in Germany, Hubert Hurkacz and Daniil Medvedev in the United Arab Emirates.
8 failures before the second week as top seed
So what happens at the Grand Slam? Does Humbert have physical difficulties in the long format? “I’m not sure this is the problem. I think it’s more a question of approach to the Grand Slam, considers Camille Pin, our consultant on Eurosport. It’s still special, these are the events which bring in the most points and the three winning sets are indeed a component which changes a lot of things. But Ugo has progressed in this area, I think he did crazy physical preparation with Xavier Moreau on grass, he is dry. I don’t think it’s limited.”
It must also be said that Messin was not always protected at the time of the draws. He has been seeded eight times, with disappointments to put into perspective depending on the circumstances. Here is the list:
- Australian Open 2024: beaten in the 3rd round by Hubert Hurkacz [9e] (3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-3)
- Roland-Garros 2024: Lorenzo Sonego wins 1st tour [49e] (6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3)
- US Open 2023: beaten in the 1st round by Matteo Berrettini [36e] (6-4, 6-2, 6-2)
- Australian Open 2022: beaten in the 1st round by Richard Gasquet [81e] (3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3)
- US Open 2021: battu au 1er tour par Peter Gojowczyk [141e] (1-6, 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4)
- Wimbledon 2021: beaten in the 1st round by Nick Kyrgios [60e] (6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7)
- Roland-Garros 2021 : battu au 1er pour par Ricardas Berankis [93e] (6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4)
- Australian Open 2021: beaten in the 2nd round by Nick Kyrgios [47e] (5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4)
If we review these matches, there are four notable poor performances, and even these must be put into perspective. The defeats against Berankis and Sonego at Roland-Garros stand out in particular, but we know Humbert’s difficult relationship with clay, those against Gojowczyk at the US Open and Gasquet at the Australian Open on hard court appear much more regrettable . But at the time, Humbert was suffering physically from a poorly digested vaccination and then from a long Covid. Losing to Hubert Hurkacz, Nick Kyrgios or Matteo Berrettini, all at least semi-finalists in a Grand Slam, is also nothing infamous.
Hurkacz passed his first French test, against Humbert: the summary
With a bit of bottle, it’s time to treat yourself and send a quarter or a half
But the fact remains, against the Australian in particular in 2021, Messin really missed the boat in Melbourne, letting two match points slip away. At Wimbledon, he also came close to beating him, despite the confidence then accumulated in Halle. “Once you reach a Grand Slam milestone, you take the drama out of things. In a career, there are triggers that happen little by little and I find that he is maturing to be able to produce it. I think that being in the Top 15 or not far away is a sign that he has also taken a step forward in terms of his convictions and what he thinks of himself, otherwise you stay 30. C it’s time for him, with a little bottle, to have fun at Wimbledon“, believes Camille Pin.
For the first time among the top 16 seeds in a Grand Slam, Humbert has never been so protected in a Grand Slam. He will not be able to face a player better ranked than him before the round of 16, so the opportunity seems ideal. His latest results on grass – entry eliminations at Queen’s then Mallorca – are not the most reassuring, but he has all the assets to shine on the surface. If he lacks carefreeness, he makes up for it with his experience.
“What 2019 revealed, whether it was through carelessness or not, is that his first big result came on grass. I think it’s on this same surface that he’ll achieve his biggest results. For me, on paper, Ugo is in the top 8 on grass. He has the ideal game: his ball flies, he’s left-handed. Compared to what he’s achieved this year, if he manages to put positive pressure on himself by telling himself that he’s going to have a blast, he can send a quarter or even a semi-finalconcludes Camille Pin. Sometimes this mental management of the Grand Slam takes time. I know he works a lot with a mental trainer (a psychologist, Sophie Huguet, Editor’s note)He puts all the assets on his side.”
