It's the kind of match where you don't have to look very far for motivation. It’s a Grand Slam round of 16 already. And Ugo Humbert, who has already said he is “proud” to reach the second week for the first time in his career in Australia, could win his first quarter-final in a Major. The account is already good in terms of motivation. But in addition, there is Alexander Zverev opposite. And the French number 1 still has a red cheek from their last match.
It was in Bercy two months ago. In the final too. And to be clear, Ugo Humbert did not exist against the German. The latter won 6-2, 6-2 to win his seventh Masters 1000 title. Surgical, overpowering and very aggressive, Zverev had unfolded, leaving no hope to Humbert in front of his audience. While he dreamed of becoming the first Frenchman crowned at Bercy since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008, the Lorraine had clearly missed out on this meeting after his great week in Paris. And to say that the memory of that home lesson is still fresh in his mind is an understatement.
Mahut: “Zverev has not yet really exceeded his limits at this Australian Open”
Video credit: Eurosport
While Bercy was ready to ignite one last time for his farewells, Ugo Humbert was branded by this bitter failure in the final. “I took 2 and 2 in front of 15,000 people, I still felt a little…”, he said in comments taken up by L'Equipe after his success against Arthur Fils on Friday. “I was very touched, I had given a lot during the week. But I had no regrets, he played really well. He had been unstoppable.”
Untouchable for this der at Bercy, Zverev had dictated his law to suffocate the Frenchman, unable to find solutions given the weight and length of the German's ball. Sunday in the heat of Melbourne, Humbert knows he will have to show a diametrically opposed face. “I'll try to do it differently“, he promises. Don't think in any case that he will present himself as a victim on the court on Sunday. That's not his style. “I am capable of beating the very best. When I get on the court, I believe in it 100%. You just have to stay humble, but I am convinced that I can do great things. I have confidence in myself“, warns the 26-year-old left-hander.
-I know I can do it
Its rise to power in recent years is there to illustrate it. And if he is still waiting for a breakthrough in the Grand Slam to validate his new status on the international scene, the Habs, 14th player in the world, also knows that he has already caused some problems for the German. He even beat him during their first opposition in Halle in 2021 (7-6, 3-6, 6-3). And in 2023 at Bercy, he made life difficult before narrowly losing (6-4, 6-7, 7-6). The Bercy 2024 final is therefore a small anomaly in their shared history. “I've already beaten him, I know I can do it. We will have to seize the slightest opportunity because it serves very well. It's a new match, a new challenge“, he announces.
The challenge, however, is immense. Because Alexander Zverev has been in great form since the start of the tournament. In search of his first Major, the world number 2, double Grand Slam finalist (US Open 2020, Roland-Garros 2024), seems on a mission. To get there, he scored three quick wins against Lucas Pouille, Pedro Martinez and Jacob Fernley, all delivered in three straight sets. The gold medalist from the Tokyo Games (2021) is very solid and clean in line with his end of last season. “In his head, he wants to go all the way“, warned our expert Nicolas Mahut.
But that's good, Ugo Humbert would be happy to spoil his dreams, just to give him back. And he is focused. “I played (Carlos) Alcaraz and 'Djoko' (Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 major tournaments) in my last two eighths” in the Grand Slam final, in 2019 and in 2024 at Wimbledon, remembers the left-hander with the backwards cap. “Here I play Zverev, it's not one of the easiest rounds, but if I want to go further” in major tournaments, “I I have no choice, I'm going to have to beat these kind of players“, concludes Humbert again.
