When the 2024 season began, nothing suggested that Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (GMP) would devour the tennis year like a never-satisfied ogre, sitting at a table in an “all-inclusive” resort. It was at the Challenger in Nouméa, New Caledonia, that he played his first match of the year. This resulted in a victory in three sets over the Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov, then ranked only two places below the Frenchman (Kuzmanov will finish the year in 338th place in the world). During this match, the tallest Frenchman (in size for the moment) won his two sets in the tie-break and served 17 aces. A hint at what was to come during the year. But the next round, GMP lost in two rounds against “the old guy”, Richard Gasquet.
In Melbourne, a few days later, the man who is now one of the best servers in the world failed to get out of the qualifying round, losing to another Frenchman, Hugo Grenier, in the third qualifying round. . The weeks that followed had not been easy, with “first” to the challengers from Quimper, then from Koblenz.
It’s at Queen’s that we say to ourselves “Hey, what happened there?” »
First flash at the Nottingham challenger, early February. Giovanni won the second “chal” of his career (four in total). Then, not much until April, before a tour of Mexican challengers in “Zapata” mode: semi-final in San Luis Potosi, title in Cuernavaca and re-title in Acapulco. Then comes the spring tour on clay, a priori not the best surface for the Lyonnais. In Lyon, the week before Roland-Garros, GMP obtained a wild card from the tournament organizer, a certain… Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. To say he took advantage of it would be an understatement. GMP stayed until the Sunday of the final and finished the tournament with the trophy in their hands. This is his first title on the main circuit. At the end of these seven perfect days, Gio made a sensational entry into the Top 100 for the first time in his career, rising from 117th to 66th place. He will not be able to confirm at Roland, with a defeat in the first round against David Goffin (in five sets). But the grass is not far away…
It’s at Queen’s that we say to ourselves “Hey, what happened there?” », after his victory in the first round in two straight sets over the 14th player in the world, Ben Shelton, even though he is a fan of the game on grass. Then, GMP confirmed at Wimbledon where, after qualifying, he reached the round of 16 before losing to Lorenzo Musetti, with a victory in five sets in the first round over the ultra-treacherous Sebastian Korda. This beautiful fortnight allows him to make his entry, this time, into the Top 50.
The months that followed were very complicated. Literally nothing will happen until the ATP 500 in Basel. But in Switzerland, Giovanni beat Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Holger Rune and finally Ben Shelton in the final! This second title on the main circuit allows him to gain almost twenty more places in the ranking and reach 31st, and even 30th for a short week, from November 4 to 11.
Over the season, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard played 26 tie-breaks on the main circuit and won 15 of them. He served 532 aces and won 80% of the points after serving a first. He won 89% of his service games and saved 69% of the break points he faced.
In the meantime, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, or “Thanos” as Nicolas Mahut nicknames him
After the title in Basel, Andy Roddick, not the most clumsy of waiters, said of the Frenchman that he was one of “those players who change the game, in the same way as Rafa with his revolutions per minute, or Connors when he arrived with his Wilson T2000, because Giovanni is the first player who can statistically serve two first balls.”
The Frenchman is obviously very proud of this award, as he said in a video published by the ATP. 2025 will be a real test for him. Players will now fear him, provided that his service remains as efficient (a priori, there is no reason). He will have to continue to improve, an obligation that his coach, Emmanuel Planque, will not hesitate to manage.
In the meantime, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, or “Thanos” as Nicolas Mahut nicknames him (he also nicknamed Gilles Simon “teacher” and Ugo Humbert “commander), has almost no points to defend before Wimbledon. The first six months of 2025 will be decisive, because he could accumulate “puntos” there, in order, why not, to arrive at Roland as a (big) seed. And then, between “two” premieres that work well, a good feeling, and popular enthusiasm…
