Will Ugo Humbert one day love clay and Roland-Garros? In five appearances, Messin has only won one match, last year in the first round against Adrian Mannarino, the other Frenchman well ranked in the ATP who does not like the surface of the Parisian Grand Slam. This is why the love story between Humbert and the special audience at Roland-Garros has not yet taken hold. But 2024 could well change the situation.
Worshiper of grass more than anything – it was at Wimbledon that he exploded in the eyes of an informed public by reaching the round of 16 in his first participation in 2019 – Humbert has long believed that the grass was not made for him. Like others, he pushed the surface a little quickly, sometimes forgetting that he could play well there. “On hard or on grass, with my serve and my backhand I would have doubted less when it came time to conclude. I doubted because I have never played well on clay,” he said in April 2023 after a defeat in the 1st tower of Monte Carlo in front of… Lorenzo Sonego.
Yes, Humbert can do it
“Today I proved to myself that I can do it,” he added. The first path towards acceptance of this surface? His defense, his rhythmic play and his consistency are all assets on earth. If Humbert plays on ocher as he plays elsewhere, his good ranking could turn into an excellent one, he who is sailing this year around the Top 15 (15th in the Race, 17th in the ATP).
The proof, his quarter-final in Monte Carlo, the first in Masters 1000 on clay, sent him to 13th place in the world in mid-April. On the Rock, he had an excellent end to winter. Titled in Marseille at the start of the season, Humbert also triumphed in his second ATP 500, in Dubai. He successively beat Hubert Hurkacz, his winner from Melbourne, and Daniil Medvedev.
But more than Marseille, Dubai and Melbourne, it is obviously Monte-Carlo that Humbert will have to remember, he who did not know how to continue, winning only one match in Madrid and none in Barcelona. “There were a lot of positives this week,” he recalled after his defeat, in three sets, against Casper Ruud on the Rock. I have just played one of the best in the world on clay, and even if there is still a lot of progress to make, there were some good things during this match.”
A great course to conquer the Roland-Garros public
Without getting excited, Ugo Humbert then understood that he had to be ambitious on clay: “What I did this week shows that I am here, that I can play well on this surface. […] I find that I am more and more solid. If I also continue to progress physically, I should fulfill the objective, which is to be ready for Roland.”
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Arriving in Paris on Friday evening, Humbert will not have to wait too long to start since he will enter the court on Sunday, in this day added in recent years, and from 11 a.m. “I had no choice!”, he laughed at a press conference on Saturday before being questioned about an audience he has not yet won over.
“Each time, it was quick for me,” he still smiled when he had to judge the Parisian stands. “Whether you play well or badly, that’s not the most important thing. They ask that you give your all . In the end, it’s not one against one, it’s two against one. These are fantastic atmospheres. When I played Kyrgios in Australia, you felt the public behind Kyrgios, it’s fabulous. It’s not easy for the opponent, you have to use it.” For the public to support him and get excited, Humbert will first have to believe in himself.
2024-05-25 19:23:00
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