MAGNIFIQUE ????????????Showtime tennis from Monfils and Mpetshi Perricard! ???????????? • • • • •
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)
It’s only January but Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has hit a contender for shot of the year.
The 6ft 8ins giant faced compatriot Gael Monfils in the first round of the on Tuesday.
Despite losing in five sets, the tall Frenchman pulled off a ridiculous shot to outsmart Monfils, leaving the Melbourne crowd in awe.
Mpetshi Perricard made his main draw debut at the , coming in as the No. 30 seed after enjoying a breakthrough season last year. But he was handed a tough draw, facing Monfils in the first round.
The 38-year-old has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the world and came into the tournament on form after lifting his 13th career title in Auckland. He carried his form straight into Melbourne, taking the first two sets against Mpetshi Perricard.
But the 30th seed stormed back to make the match more competitive, saving match points to win the third set in a tiebreak. Set number four also went to a breaker where Mpetshi Perricard unleashed an incredible shot.
Monfils is known for being a showman but the 21-year-old was the one pulling off the impossible. Mpetshi Perricard drew Monfils into the net before hitting a front-facing tweener lob as the fans went crazy.
Gael Monfils beat his young countryman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Image: Getty)
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The Auckland champion raced to the back of the court and responded with a through-the-legs shot of his own. But Mpetshi Perricard won the point as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
“One of the points of the tournament so far!” commentator Nick Lester exclaimed. “Extraordinary stuff.”
As a slow-motion replay of both tweeners was played, Roger Rasheed added: “Take a look at the skills here. That was the first one and then this. Only Gael would’ve been able to get back and play that shot.”
Still on a high from his incredible shot, Mpetshi Perricard won the tiebreak to force a decider. But Monfils broke immediately to start the fifth and final set.
It proved crucial, as Mpetshi Perricard failed to get back on serve and didn’t break the world No. 41 for the entire match. Monfils eventually won 7-6(7) 6-3 6-7(6) 6-7(5) 6-4.
Afterwards, the 38-year-old tour veteran said he wasn’t paying attention to his age while competing. “Honestly, I never really think about it,” he explained.
“I know I’m aged a little bit, but I try my best. I know this week I can sometimes have double the age of the guy [I play against].
“I have, I think, 21 years of career, and he’s 21 years old, Giovanni. Of course numbers are there, but I’m fighting, so I try not to put any number in my head.”