One serves the lead, the other returns to the laser: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Arthur Fils have been friends since they were ten years old, they have progressed together and are making sparks together for the first time in a Grand Slam at Wimbledon where they are trying to reach the last 16 on Saturday.
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Arriving on the London grass, both had the status of great hopes of French tennis, Fils being the higher ranked of the two (34th and 58th).
But none of them had yet won a single match at the All England Club. Mpetshi Perricard had not yet advanced through a single round in a Grand Slam, with a total of two appearances at Roland-Garros last year and this year. Fils has a little more experience since he is playing his sixth Major at Wimbledon where he started last year with a first-round defeat. He had never advanced beyond the second round in a Grand Slam (US Open 2023 and Australian Open 2024).
That is to say that they arrived in London in a certain anonymity. But after two rounds, the two 20-year-old Frenchies (Mpetshi Perricard will be 21 on Monday) are now scrutinized by the public and the international media and each follows the other’s journey very closely.
” To eat together “
” I’ll try to go see him, I’ll encourage him and tonight we’ll probably go eat together. “, Fils said just after his victory over Hurkacz on Thursday and while Mpetshi Perricard was preparing to enter the court to face Nishioka.
Because since they met around the age of nine or ten at the Poitiers training center, the two have become best friends.
” We went on holiday together many times, I grew up with him, since Poitiers, I’ve been with him, we’ve been on the circuit at the same time, we’ve played everything together, we get along almost like brothers. It’s just incredible for him, it’s incredible for me too to see him succeed like that ” says Fils.
” This relationship is strong, we have done a lot of work together, we have competed a lot, we have helped each other when we have trained together. “, confirms Mpetshi Perricard.
This 2.03m giant fascinates at Wimbledon in particular with his powerful and precise serve: in two rounds, he has passed 78 aces (including 51 in the first round) and in total 57% of his serves have never come back to him.
“Crazy matches”
No wonder Fils says he took advantage of this strong point of his elder: ” he taught me how to return ” he laughs.
Obviously it worked well, since Fils considers that at this Wimbledon in particular, his strong point is to “return well”, which allows him ” to play a lot of points on the service of (his) opponents and sometimes to put pressure on them “.
” Every player I’ve trained with has gotten a little stronger in return. ” jokes Mpetshi Perricard.
He explains that his younger brother taught him ” to be patient in the exchanges and to build the point “.
And he enjoys the interest he provokes with his service: ” I’m just doing my job, and my job is to serve, to throw cinder blocks in all directions. They’re really excited about it. So much the better! ” he says.
Who better than a ” brother “, to predict a player’s future? ” I think he’s going to be one of the best players in the world, very soon. “, assures Fils with aplomb about his alter ego.
In any case, three years after their semi-final at Roland-Garros juniors (Fils won before losing in the final against Luca van Assche), Arthur Fils has a dream: ” I hope we’ll play some crazy games, in some crazy places. “.