Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is becoming the start of the year attraction in Australia. Under the spotlight from the outset in Brisbane for having faced and beaten the media returning Nick Kyrgios, before continuing against Frances Tiafoe then, this Friday, the young and talented Jakub Mensik (7-5, 7-6), the double French meter is the talk of Brisbane. And on social networks, even Boris Becker got involved.
Reacting to a tweet from the “The Big Three” account praising the qualities of Mpetshi Perricard’s service, the former world number one tempered some ardor: “Perricard has the best service I have ever seen. From mechanics to ease of power to efficiency. I think he will end up being considered the best server of all time.” “Are you really sure about this?“, replied Becker, highlighting Pete Sampras as an example.
Vast debate and, after all, the final thought (not statement) is in the future, not the present. What is certain is that Mpetshi Perricard makes noise, causes damage, and causes trouble. It frustrates, too. The handshake with Jakub Mensik was icy, showing the Czech's disgust. Confronting Mpetshi is becoming a form of psychological ordeal. In response, the Habs gave a little doubtful pout. Half surprised, half indifferent. He's right. It's not his problem, but that of his opponents.
But yes, there is reason to be frustrated. Over the entire 2024 season, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard saw 46.5% of his serves not be returned. Almost one in two. No one has done better in this area. He served on average at 217 km/h in the first ball. Better (or worse, depending on your point of view), his second ball average: 197 km/h. He already co-holds the record for the second fastest ball of all time with a peak of 235 km/h last June on the Stuttgart turf. He then equaled Milos Raonic's mark in 2017 recorded in Melbourne.
Tiafoe didn't resist either: The summary of Mpetshi Perricard's success
Video credit: Eurosport
Already colossal stats in Brisbane
And this is probably just the beginning. Friday, during the tie-break of the second set, we saw him serve several times at more than 210 on his second serve. Without forcing a single second. Delusional. This controlled risk-taking makes him almost unplayable in terms of his commitment, especially since he doesn't just do anything willy-nilly. Against Mensik, he only committed two small double faults.
“I played Ivo Karlovic, John Isner, Milos Raonic, all these great servers, and he has the biggest serve I've seen so far“, Nick Kyrgios testified after their match earlier this week.
Four aces and a golden game for Mpetshi Perricard, Kyrgios prefers to smile
Video credit: Eurosport
For now, in his first three matches of the year, Mpetshi Perricard is posting staggering statistics. The sample is certainly still tiny, but it would be surprising if it weakened drastically. He is at 75 aces, 83.5% of points won behind his first ball and 60% on the second. Unsurprisingly, he has yet to be broken, dismissing the four break points he faced in 41 service games.
It would be unfair to reduce him to just his serve, because he has something else in his game. Amazing mobility for his size (203 centimeters under the gauge) and significant progress at the net (he particularly worked on the volley in the offseason , as he pointed out on Friday, even ironically comparing himself jokingly to Pat Rafter), like the match point against Mensik.
But it would be just as absurd not to see to what extent this global weapon, first and therefore second bullet combined, constitutes a fairly unique striking force. He will have to be something other than a “serve bot” if he wants to influence the matches and, perhaps, his era. But with that alone, he can already travel far and turn a few heads.
