Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was born on July 8, 2003, in Lyon, France, and in no time had risen through the echelons into professional tennis to become one of the sport’s most promising youngsters. Standing at an imposing 2.03 meters, his powerful serve and aggressive playing style have brought him considerable attention on the ATP Tour.
Early Life and Background
Mpetshi Perricard comes from an athletic family. His father, Ghislain Mpetshi-Kalongo, was a semi-professional footballer; his sister, Daphnée Mpetshi Perricard, is into tennis, too. On the other hand, his father is of DR Congo descent.
Since his childhood, Giovanni has shown enthusiasm for tennis. He had moved out from home to Poitiers for training at the age of 12 under the French Tennis Federation, which laid the base for his professional career.
Junior Career Highlights
Yet, Mpetshi Perricard’s junior career was not devoid of strong points. In 2021, he won the Roland-Garros boys’ doubles title with compatriot Arthur Fils. He reached the semifinals of the same event in the boys’ singles category that year, further underlining his potentials on the international stage.
Transition to Professional Tennis
Giovanni has been so smooth in transition to this pro circuit. In 2023, an ATP Challenger singles tile finally came his way for the first time at the León Open at the expense of Juan Pablo Ficovich. This finally brought him a foothold in the top-200 of the ATP Ranking system.
Breakthrough in 2024
This has been a pretty crucial year for Mpetshi Perricard. He began by securing multiple titles on the ATP Challenger Tour: at the Lexus Nottingham Challenger, Morelos Open, and the GNP Seguros Tennis Open in Acapulco. The wins propelled him into the top 125 by April 2024.
At the Lyon Open, coming off the wildcards in May, Giovanni captured his first ATP Tour title by beating Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Bublik, and Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the final. The title he gained meant he was the lowest-ranked champion in the history of this tournament, boosting him into the World No. 66 for his career-high ranking.
Grand Slam Performances
Grand Slam: Mpetshi Perricard has had quite an interesting journey into the Grand Slams. Coming into Wimbledon 2024 as a lucky loser, he finally reached the fourth round for the first time in a Grand Slam event. His first-round win against 20th seed Sebastian Korda was especially notable, where he fired 51 aces in a five-set thriller.
Historic Win in Basel
In October 2024, he won his first ATP 500 title at the Swiss Indoors Basel. No. 50-ranked Giovanni became the lowest-ranked champion in Basel since the tournament has been a tour-level event in 1975 after he defeated Ben Shelton to capture the title. Consequently, this victory propelled him to a new career-high ranking of World No. 31.
Playing Style and Strengths
Standing at 2.03 meters, the serve of Mpetshi Perricard is a weapon. Such height gives him power and an angle, which makes a return to his serve hard to produce. Notably, he holds the record for the fastest second serve: 146 mph during the 2024 BOSS Open in Stuttgart.
Along with his serving, Giovanni has a strong forehand and agile movement for a man of his height. He is thus an all-around player who could be aggressive at the net, with his style of play suitable for almost all surfaces.
Off the Court
Giovanni is very active in social media, especially on Instagram, where he shares his training and some matches apart from showing his personal life. He is approachable, which has made him more endearing to his fans from all over the world.
Future Prospects
By December 2024, Mpetshi Perricard will probably be still on the rise in the tennis world. Recent performances have placed him in a position to contend in the next Grand Slam tournaments. With his powerful serve and developing all-court game, Giovanni is indeed one of the players to be watched in the coming seasons.
FAQs
What is Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s ranking at present?
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard peaked at World No. 31 in singles as of October 28, 2024.
How tall is Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard?
Giovanni is 2.03 meters tall, or 6 feet 8 inches.
What is the speed of Giovanni’s fastest recorded serve?
He recorded the fastest second serve, which was at 146 mph during the 2024 BOSS Open in Stuttgart.
Has Giovanni won any ATP titles?
Yes, Giovanni has won several titles in ATP, including his first title of an ATP Tour at the Lyon Open in May 2024 and his very first title of ATP 500 in Swiss Indoors Basel during October 2024.
Does Giovanni have siblings, brothers or sisters, who play tennis?
Ah, yes, his younger sister, Daphnée Mpetshi Perricard, is also into tennis.
