A new name makes a hole in the horizon of tennis. Gabriel Debru (Grenoble, December 21, 2005) has just been proclaimed champion of the junior edition of Roland Garros 2022 and has managed to reach number 698 in the ATP ranking. Debru has already started to amaze the tennis world with the great tournament he has completed after losing just one set all week. The young Frenchman is nicknamed the “Bull” because of his great height (1.92 meters) and because of his powerful play with his powerful forehand and his very hard serve. Throughout the tournament he has shown his quality both at the back of the court and in the net and has left flashes of quality that make him a very complete player to take into account in the near future.
For this reason, Debri has already been able to train at the prestigious Patrick Mouratoglou academy at the end of 2021 with the next number one and current number two in the ATP ranking, Daniil Medvedev. The Frenchman has already played several Challenger tournaments and he is the fourth youngest player to win a match in a final draw after overcoming the first round of the Roanne Challenger. In this way, Debru approached the numbers of Auger-Aliassime or Nadal, who hold the records for the earliest to win a Challenger match at 14 years and 11 months and 15 years and 3 months, respectively.
The beginning of a bright future
Gabriel Debru started playing tennis at the age of 5 with his parents and brother in Grenoble, his hometown. His first hits began at the Grenoble Tennis Club before moving to the facilities of the French Tennis Federation with former tennis player Stephane Huet, who eliminated Ivan Lendl in the second round of Roland Garros in 1993. Currently, his The team is made up of his coach, Boris Vallejo, and his physical trainer, Pierre Mazinc.
A giant that scares
Debru is characterized by his great height and wingspan. The Frenchman measures 1.92 meters and, therefore, his serve and his forehand dominate any player of his age. Besides his powerful serve and his powerful forehand, his backhand is pretty solid, so the rally from the end of the court is very consistent during all his matches. Also, if at any time he needs it, his climb to the net is quite interesting, always with good percentages at the top of the track. In this way, Debru has become a very complete player that we will start to take into account sooner rather than later.
Debru has made a kind of self-criticism after winning her first Grand Slam in the junior category and has confirmed that she will try to improve her serve in terms of percentages with the first service and that she will work much more on her forehand and her climbs to the net to become a future world tennis star. Also, even though height is her greatest physical flare, she is by no means a slow and the agility on the track is reminiscent of Medvedev, since he has no problem moving on the court. Although he will try to improve his physical performance, we must keep an eye on Debru’s progression in the coming months, since for the next few seasons, he may become one of the best surprises that the ATP circuit can give us.
