Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz may have to contend with Mpetshi Perricard in years to come (Image: Getty)
, and the rest of tennis’ big guns have been warned about a ‘nightmare’ player rising through the ranks.
The balance of power at the top of the sport has shifted dramatically in the wake of , and retiring, and Djokovic cutting down his tournament schedule. and lead the men’s rankings, with Alcaraz third and seventh-place Djokovic still a major player in big tournaments.
New up-and-comers could create further changes towards the top of the pecking order. And former quarter-finalist John Isner believes that Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard could cause big-name players serious problems.
Mpetshi Perricard, 21, already boasts one of the top-10 fastest serves on record. The 6ft 8in giant powered one down the court at 152mph at this year’s French Open, and his average first-serve speed far exceeds any of the other nine men on the list.
Isner is even taller at 6ft 10in, and he has first-hand experience of Mpetshi Perricard’s power after practicing with him years ago.
“He warmed me up at the French Open,” explained the American on the podcast. “I just remember thinking his backhand was really bad but he could crack the ball on the forehand and his serve was obviously huge.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve is the best on tour, according to Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty)
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“It’s not actually that surprising for me that he did what he did [in the] last year. If he stays healthy, he’s going to be a nightmare for a lot of players in the years to come.”
Mpetshi Perricard pulled off the biggest win of his career with an ATP 500 title at the Swiss Indoors in October. A month prior to that he met Alcaraz at the China Open, where he lost in straight sets but still left a lasting impression on the Spaniard, who believes his ‘unbelievable’ serve is the best on tour.
Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard is currently ranked 31st in the world, but he has his sights set on improving various aspects of his game.
“[I want to be] a player who will be complete, who will have no faults, whether mentally, technically or physically, who will respond to every problem,” he explained in the summer. “I think I can do it, but before that I’ll need to put in a lot of hours of training.
“It’s pretty much always the same things: take your time, breathe, and always be focused on when they [the opponent] start their move. These are things I’ve been looking at over the last few months, because it’s an aspect we don’t emphasise enough.”