Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard could be Wimbledon 2024's Christopher Eubanks
By Lee Vowell
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is not going to be an easy out at Wimbledon. His serve won't allow other players to bully him around. In fact, the exact opposite was true in the Frenchman's opening-round victory at the grass-court major when he took out Sebastian Korda in five sets.
Mpetshi Perricard had 52 aces - fifty-two - and just 10 double faults. He hit almost as many serves close to 150 MPH, perhaps the best serving game in years. He is far from a finished player as he is only 20 years old, but he certainly has one weapon few players can deal with if the Frenchman is on his game.
Korda suffered an abdominal injury and did not move as well as he normally does, but even had he stayed healthy he likely would have succumbed to the onslaught that Mpetshi Perricard was delivering. Plus, he has not played enough tour-level matches where players have been able to figure him out. A foe that one has likely never played but is consistently serving over 140 MPH - sometimes even on second serves - is a dangerous opponent.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's overpowering serve makes him dangerous at Wimbledon 2024
In 2023, American Christopher Eubank arrived seemingly out of nowhere to shock Wimbledon as well. He made it all the way to the quarterfinals, mostly on the strength of his serve. Mpetshi Perricard on grass courts has the speed and placement of his serve augmented. The same way Eubanks's serve was last year.
Next. Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. dark
But the Frenchman isn't a one-note player. He took a title earlier this year on clay when he won in Lyon and defeated top-30 players Alexander Bublik and Tomas Martin Etcheverry on his way to the win. Mpetshi Perricard has only played 13 ATP-level matches, and while has a record of 7-6, he already does have the one title. That's impressive and should have given him confidence heading into Wimbledon.
His confidence should grow after the victory over Korda, especially as Mpetshi Perricard only entered Wimbledon as a lucky loser. Plus, after sixth-seed Andrey Rublev was bounced out of the tournament in the first round, the Frenchman's path to at least the quarterfinals got a bit easier. His toughest match might be against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round. In other words, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is shaping up to be Wimbledon 2024's Christopher Eubanks.
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