French tennis player Mpetshi Perricard is already considered a UFO on the world circuit, with extraordinary physical abilities. To the point of scaring certain partners…
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard could be the big revelation of 2025 on the tennis courts. After a great end to the season and a first title acquired during an ATP 500 tournament in Basel, the 21-year-old Frenchman impressed and began to have regular results, allowing him to progress in the world hierarchy. The young Frenchman even scares his opponents on the circuit, with his 2 meters height, his 100 kilos and a game to match. An atypical physique and style for tennis, which are reminiscent of a certain Victor Wembanyama in the NBA.
In a few weeks, Mpetshi Perricard has already become the best server on the circuit with average speeds around 230 km/h for the first ball, but only around ten km/h less on the second. Enough to leave his opponents cold.
The American Ben Shelton has paid the price recently. Semi-finalist of the US Open in 2023, the 22-year-old left-hander is also one of the rising stars of world tennis, with a game also based on an ultra-powerful serve. But during the final in Basel he was no match for the Frenchman’s commitment.
During the trophy presentation that day, Ben Shelton couldn’t help but have this bit of humor in front of Mpetshi Perricard: “I almost lost my life trying to return your serve. There are so many other parts of your game that you have improved so much. You are a great talent, very good for this sport”he said. For the record, the American was hit hard by his opponent’s serve that day. On another powerful throw-in from Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard, Ben Shelton received the ball right on the hand.
The tennis player also took the opportunity to praise the courage of the collectors in the face of such power. “I would like to thank the bullet boys, you probably had the most difficult job today, dodging warheads hitting you in the face, so I’m glad that no one was hit today, that no one was been injured. But thank you for being brave and coming on court“, he added in an unusual remark, but undoubtedly significant in modern tennis.
This is not the first time that a player has been surprised by the power of Mpetshi Perricard. The Russian Daniil Medvedev recently delivered another juicy anecdote about one of his compatriots, Karen Khachanov, confronted by the Frenchman during training. During the warm-up before a doubles, the latter was surprised by the speed of Mpetshi Perricard’s second serve. “Karen receives a missile at more than 200 km/h,” says Daniil Medvedev, who saw his partner stunned by such speed on a second ball. Mpetshi Perricard would then have commented blandly: “Well I slowed down by 10 km/h”. Such an asset is likely to do damage throughout the season.