Harold Mayot will still have to wait before crossing the threshold of the Top 100. At 22, the young Frenchman, ranked 117th in the world, still comes up against this symbolic barrier which opens the doors to the main Grand Slam draws. Despite his efforts in 2024 and his frantic race towards the Top 100, he will ultimately not have the ranking required to join the main draw of theAustralian Open. After a sixth defeat in seven games since October 5, his coach Thierry Tulasne delivered to us, Décineshis look at his protégé’s season. Former world number 10 and figure of the generation Yannick Noah–Henri Leconte, Fiery recognizes in particular a programming error.
Video – Thierry Tulasne takes stock of Harold Mayot’s season
As Harold Mayot’s coach, how do you assess his end of the season, particularly on a mental level? He recently mentioned in Orléans that he felt worn out by the pace of the season…
This season has been long and hard, like for all the players. He (Harold Mayot) wanted to do his best to reach the top 100 and be able to play the final draw of the Australian Open. It’s getting complicated, he has to win a tournament, he only has one left next week (the Challenger 100 in Rovereto, in which he ultimately shouldn’t participate, Editor’s note), but he believes in it. In all cases he gives his best. I find that he is progressing in his game, which is much more offensive, by letting his shots go. He’s a little more daring too, he does his best. He decided to improve the entire mental aspect of his tennis by taking a mental trainer. For me, the lights are green.
“How best to manage your emotions”
Can you tell us more about his mental preparation? How does the work he does in this area help improve his game?
It helps him concentrate. To be focused, you have to be calm. The idea is to manage your emotions as best you can, particularly fear, anger and frustration. The best players work on it. In fact, it is optimized, we have potential at the start, like physical potential, like technique, and it improves as we work. There is not one method, it is personal work to look a little deeper, in the way you react, in difficult situations with fatigue and the rest.
Is this the aspect that you particularly focused on this year?
We work on everything, because everything is linked. When we are physically strong, we feel mentally strong, that helps us a lot. When you are technically complete, when you have strengths in your game which helps mentally. But for that, you have to be strong in all areas. This was the area of his tennis where he had the most progress to make, bringing his mind up to the level of his game. Even tactically, to progress in these patterns of play, you need self-confidence, audacity , which depends a lot on the head.
Eighth QF of the year 🙌
18-year-old Martin Landaluce advances in Lyon with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 4 seed Mayot#OnTheRise | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/k2ke5RmEny
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 13, 2024
“I see him at a very high level by taking the ball earlier”
What are the areas where Harold can still improve?
His ability to take the ball early, dare, play close to the lines, so a lot of audacity. Agree to stay calm when it’s difficult, like the greatest players do. Obviously, serve a little harder and have a better serving percentage. He is not very big for the modern game so will never be able to achieve 70% firsts while serving at 200km/h. This is why he must be intelligent regarding the change of effect and the variations of zones on the serve. I see him at a very high level by taking the ball very early, like Alcaraz, Sinner can do.
Considering all the tournaments Harold participated in this year, if you had to do it again, would you make the same programming choices for him?
No. He wants to add tournaments to build confidence. But like all players, he needs periods of development of his game and his physique, periods of tournaments and allowing himself periods of rest. Next year he will trust me with the programming, whereas before he was more the leader, I didn’t want to prevent him from playing. But there, arriving close to the first hundred, he must have a more coherent program with strong points and major objectives: the Grand Slams. And also periods of rest and development.
How will its program be organized in 2025, no more qualifications for the ATP 250, no more Challengers?
I’m hoping for Grand Slam final draws, Masters 1000, qualifications for the moment. Maybe also Challengers because he made finals but never won them, so winning your first Challenger is an interesting challenge.
“Wild cards, you should never count on them”
Harold will perhaps play the Australian Open in the qualifiers but you must maintain this hope of the wild card offered to a French player in Melbourne with the partnership between the tournaments (Grand Slams).
There is this possibility. But I think we should never count on wild cards, which arrive at the last moment. If he has to make the qualifications, he will do them without worry.
Is the goal to get a lot of rest before the 2025 season? It’s starting to be difficult to continue each week…
It’s 15 days of rest after his last tournament and then a period of three weeks, a month of training. We will start the first tournament of the year very early, probably at the Nouméa Challenger (December 29 – January 4).
“We have a great adventure ahead of us”
Do you go with him to each tournament or does he find himself alone in certain weeks?
He will have many weeks with me but also weeks with the mental trainer, Sylvain Guyomarc’h, with whom he will spend time, because it is by spending time, and in training, and in tournaments that he will develop his mental abilities.
How do you describe your relationship today, after three seasons of working together?
She is very beautiful. I have trained a lot of players, I have had some very good relationships but this is truly one of my best relationships. At the beginning, he was very young, and quite difficult. Quite a strong character. But he trusts me, the trust is mutual, and if we didn’t work together in tennis, we would still be friends. This relationship… I love going away with him, I love spending time with him. I love the respect we have for each other, so I hope we continue together because we have a great adventure ahead of us.
