Masters 1000 Paris | PROFILE – Ugo Humbert, the Federer fan who overcame his junior injuries to go far

And Humbert, who will have the public in his favor, is a notable specialist as for indoor hard court. He recently reached the final in Tokyo (which he lost to Arthur Fils) and at home he is even better at it: they are already going 10 consecutive victories on French indoor courts (he was champion in Metz and Marseille).

Ugo Humbert was born in 1998 in Metz (France) in a humble family (His parents own a butcher shop). He learned tennis at the age of five, watching his father practice. At just 12, he left home to train in Paris, and he grew noticeably, especially under the guidance of the coach who influenced him the most, Cedric Raynaud. However, not everything was going to be a bed of roses: in his junior stage, He suffered various injuries related to his growth which caused him to miss 18 months between 2010 and 2011 and seven months in 2016.

In 2020 his first titles came, both ATP 250, in Auckland and Antwerp, defeating Benoit Paire and Alex de Miñaur respectively in the finals. A year later he managed its most prestigious trophy, in Hallecuriously his only title on a surface other than hard (grass in this case) and in a tournament whose great idol and reference, Roger Federer (not in vain, his favorite shot is with the backhand) won ten times.

This 2024 has been the year of his consecration, adding another ATP 500 to his record in Dubai and reaching his best position in the ATP ranking (13, currently 18). His best Grand Slam result is the round of 16 he reached this year at Wimbledon.precisely the first time he played against Carlos Alcaraz. The Murcian has beaten him in the two games they have played, both this year (the other in the Davis Cup), so for now he has the measure of him. But we will see if the ‘indoor effect’ is a real threat.