The key takeaway: After early exits in Canberra and Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open, Toulouse’s Hugo Gaston (currently ranked 76th in the world, 24 years old) must adopt a more aggressive playing style if he hopes to elevate his game, according to his coach, Younes El Aynaoui.
El Aynaoui’s observations are not novel; similar sentiments were voiced by Marc Barbier during his time with Gaston. However, as time passes, a sense of urgency grows in light of Gaston’s ambitious goals. The Moroccan coach sets the stage: “Hugo has generally been positioned between 50th and 100th in the world rankings for the last 2-3 years.”
Despite his talent, Gaston often falls short due to inconsistency. His significant performances from last year can be counted on one hand, including a final appearance in Kitzbühel, a semi-final in Antwerp, and a quarter-final in Lyon at ATP 250 events, along with a Challenger title in Lyon. El Aynaoui adds: “Since Hugo lacks a dominant shot and is frequently vulnerable on his serve, he expends tremendous energy to navigate through tough weeks, defending and countering while often playing far behind the baseline. This drains him physically and hinders his ability to maintain momentum. To reach the Top 30 or better, essential changes are necessary.”
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With his talent, finesse, and creativity, Gaston has the potential to remain competitive at his current level for several more seasons, occasionally pulling off impressive runs while dazzling fans with extraordinary shot-making to uphold his reputation as a unique player. However, his coach advocates for a systematic overhaul: “Fabrice Santoro successfully transformed his game mid-career. He initially focused on consistency but evolved into an aggressive player to reach the Top 20 (17th). I want Hugo to draw inspiration from that, to win points in two or three strokes by approaching the net. We are currently working intensively on that tactic.”
Now based in Paris, Gaston prepared for the season on the federal courts at the CNE near Roland-Garros. He has also enlisted a full-time physical trainer, Hicham Messadia, “who previously worked with Caroline Garcia,” according to El Aynaoui. With his support staff in place, the onus is on Gaston: “Hugo often loses to players who strike hard and take big risks, as was the case last week in Canberra against Watanuki (ranked 374th). This frustrates and saddens him. He needs to trigger a breakthrough, move away from his comforting habits. He must be prepared to forget about rankings for a few months, accepting lesser performances while mastering this new style. I prefer to see him make mistakes while attempting moves rather than delivering neutral balls that get punished.”
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At this level, where comfort is tenuous, the circuit can be unforgiving. A losing streak leads directly to a drop in rankings and closes the door on major tournaments. Hugo Gaston must strike a balance between the present and future aspirations if he hopes to dream bigger. In the meantime, he has convinced Younes El Aynaoui of his commitment: “I have known players like Pioline, Bruguera, and Sampras, who didn’t push hard in practice but were always competitive in matches. Hugo is somewhat similar. I can see he always wants it, and he doesn’t cut corners.”
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