Mpetshi Perricard completes an ode to the serve to conquer Basel | ATP Tour

Basel

Mpetshi Perricard completes an ode to the serve to conquer Basel

The Frenchman rises to No. 31 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings

October 27, 2024

The indoor track authority has a new disciple. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard captured the biggest trophy of his career at the Swiss Indoors Basel this Sunday, completing a week of stellar performances at the prestigious Swiss tournament. The Frenchman, who secured his 60 turns of service, found his way to the cup in a straight line.

At 22 years old, the Lyon player faced the final with a permanent coldness. In a duel of enormous attributes with the serve, Mpetshi Perricard kept his eyes on Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6(4) to put on the champion suit after one hour and 28 minutes of play. The Frenchman shot 22 aces to embrace the most important victory of his career without facing a single breaking ball.

“It’s amazing to win a tournament like this. I have an ATP 500 for the first time,” said Mpetshi Perricard, who improved to 2-0 against Shelton in the Lexus ATP Head2Head history. “I have to be happy with myself, with what I did today and during the last five days. It’s fantastic to win here… I’m coming off a difficult month for me, but it’s always good when victories come.”

The feat multiplies Mpetshi Perricard’s weight in the locker room. The Frenchman, who broke into the world Top 100 last May, will climb this Monday to the highest position of his career as No. 31 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Mpetshi Perricard becomes France’s third racket, only behind No. 20 Arthur Fils and No. 18 Ugo Humbert.

Intractable in a magical tournament ✨

🇫🇷 @MpetshiG is the new champion of the #SwissIndoorsBasel.pic.twitter.com/BUyFDxHKci

— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) October 27, 2024

The Frenchman, who had only played two indoor ATP Tour tournaments in his career, found in the conditions of Basel a fertile ground to unleash his potential. Despite walking a path full of great figures, including Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Holger Rune, Giovanni represented an irrepressible force in Switzerland.

“On this surface, my serve can obviously be a big weapon for me. But I try to be aggressive from the baseline to put my opponents under pressure,” acknowledged Mpetshi Perricard. “I feel very happy because it has been a very important part of my game this week.”

The 2024 season is marked with a trail of great performances for Mpetshi Perricard, capable of standing out on all surfaces. The Frenchman debuted his record on the clay of Lyon and managed to climb to the second week on the grass of Wimbledon before raising the bar on the hard court of Basel.

“My goal was to win a 250 or a 500, but to achieve both is incredible,” said the Frenchman. “I’m focused on what I can improve in my game, there are many things I have to train. The work has paid off and I feel really happy.”

For his part, Shelton was one step away from winning his third ATP Tour crown. The American, who is 2-1 in tour-level finals, will compete next week at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he could face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the second round.

Did you know that…?
World No. 55 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard became the lowest-ranked champion in Swiss Indoors Basel history. Since its establishment on the ATP Tour calendar in 1975, no one had managed to win the title under the Swiss cover with such a low position in the PIF ATP Rankings.