In terms of dominating on serve, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard isn’t simply knocking on the door—he’s kicking it down.
The Frenchman simply lifted his first ATP 500 title in Basel, and he’s gone from 205th on the planet in the beginning of the season to thirty first within the ATP rankings.
Challenger titles in Nottingham, Cuernavaca, and Acapulco, adopted by wins on the ATP 250 in Lyon and now the Swiss Indoors, make him one in every of solely fifteen gamers to win a couple of ATP title in 2024.
I first seen Perricard on the Challenger Tour in 2021. Despite the fact that they don’t have pace weapons (at many occasions, anyway), you might inform he was serving absolute bombs.
Since then, he’s refined his total recreation, tapped into his athletic skill (fairly good for somebody 6ft 8″) to maneuver higher, and developed extra belief from the baseline.
Nevertheless, his serve stays the cornerstone of his recreation and has performed a starring function in his spectacular 2024 season.
Perricard’s newest efficiency in Basel speaks for itself: 109 aces and 100% service video games held through the week.
Averaging 138 mph on his first serve and a jaw-dropping 131 mph on his second through the remaining, Perricard performs with a stage of depth few gamers can match.
For context, his opponent within the Swiss Indoors remaining, Ben Shelton, one other insane server, averages 120 mph on his first serve. Perricard’s second serve alone challenges the pace benchmark of elite gamers’ first serves.
One of the vital putting features of his recreation is his willingness to hit what are basically two first serves. With a second-serve win charge of 68.3% in Basel—a rise from his 53.4% seasonal common—he’s displaying that he can combine energy with tactical enhancements when it counts.
In contrast to most gamers who again off on their second serve to keep away from double faults, Perricard leans into the chance. Sure, he’s averaging 5.1 double faults every match this season, however if you hit 120mph, second serves? Who cares!
For many gamers, that stat would spell bother, however for Perricard, it’s a calculated gamble that always pays off.
Savage Serving on the Swiss Indoors
Basel Event Stats
Shelton and Perricard’s numbers throughout their 5 matches in Basel, together with the ultimate:
Metric
Ben Shelton
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Aces
48
109
Double Faults
7
15
1st-Serve Proportion
73.6% (273 of 371)
64.8% (232 of 358)
1st-Serve Factors Gained
79.9% (218 of 273)
83.2% (193 of 232)
2nd-Serve Factors Gained
80.0% (64 of 80)
68.3% (86 of 126)
Service Video games Gained
98.4% (60 of 61)
100.0% (60 of 60)
Break Factors Saved
93.3% (14 of 15)
100.0% (3 of three)
1st-Serve Return Factors Gained
13.1% (26 of 198)
22.7% (49 of 216)
2nd-Serve Return Factors Gained
41.7% (53 of 127)
45.6% (57 of 125)
Return Video games Gained
10.2% (6 of 59)
10.5% (6 of 57)
Break Factors Transformed
85.7% (6 of seven)
31.6% (6 of 19)
2024 Season Serve Comparability with Prime Gamers
Perricard’s 2024 serve metrics stack up impressively in opposition to high servers like Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini. His first-serve factors gained, and ace manufacturing makes him one of many tour’s only servers this season:
Participant
% 1st Serve
% 1st Serve Factors Gained
% 2nd Serve Factors Gained
% Service Video games Gained
Avg. Aces/Match
Avg. Double Faults/Match
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
65.5%
79.0%
53.4%
88.7%
18.6
5.1
Alexander Zverev
71.5%
76.0%
54.1%
89.4%
9.5
2.2
Matteo Berrettini
68.3%
77.8%
52.5%
90.0%
9.4
1.5
Hubert Hurkacz
63.0%
78.0%
54.4%
88.9%
13.8
1.8
Jannik Sinner
61.4%
79.1%
57.1%
91.2%
7.6
1.9
Can He Change into an All-Time Nice Server?
Evaluating him to giants like John Isner and Ivo Karlovic might be untimely, however his numbers stack up, and at simply 21, they reveal simply how excessive his ceiling is.
For instance, Isner’s profession common of 18.7 aces per match intently mirrors Perricard’s present 18.6 in 2024.
Karlovic’s record-breaking first-serve factors gained charge of 82.7% is a goal that Perricard has already surpassed in Basel with 83.2%.
Sure, only one match vs. a whole profession is hardly a superb comparability, and there are vital questions as as to if he can keep these numbers throughout 10+ seasons like these seasoned veterans who spent years fine-tuning their serves. Nonetheless, Perricard is already pushing into their territory early in his profession.
Evaluating Perricards “First” Season with the All-Time Greats “First” Season
I checked out Perricard’s numbers this season and in contrast them with Isner, Karlovic, and Raonic’s first “full” season on tour, the place they performed 15+ matches. He’s displaying numbers that align intently with these of a few of the finest servers of their rookie years.
Participant
% 1st Serve
% 1st Serve Factors Gained
% 2st Serve Factors Gained
% Service Video games Gained
Avg. Aces/ Match
Avg. Double Faults/Match
John Isner
66.80%
75.10%
56.30%
89.20%
14.5
2.5
Ivo Karlovic
62.00%
82.20%
51.80%
90.40%
21.1
5.4
Milos Raonic
64.10%
78.90%
52.90%
88.20%
13.6
2.2
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
65.50%
79.00%
53.40%
88.70%
18.6
5.1
Evaluating with All-Time Nice Servers
How does Perricard’s serve stack up in opposition to legends like John Isner and Ivo Karlovic’s complete careers?
Participant
% 1st Serve
% 1st Serve Factors Gained
% 2nd Serve Factors Gained
% Service Video games Gained
Avg. Aces/Match
Avg. Double Faults/Match
John Isner
69.0%
78.8%
56.0%
91.8%
18.7
2.3
Ivo Karlovic
65.5%
82.7%
53.3%
92.0%
19.8
3.5
Milos Raonic
62.8%
81.5%
55.0%
91.1%
15.5
3.3
Reilly Opelka
63.8%
79.1%
54.8%
89.6%
18.0
2.9
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
65.5%
79.0%
53.4%
88.7%
18.6
5.1
Underneath Strain Numbers
Perricard’s 2024 numbers “underneath strain” vs the all-time leaders:
Participant
% Break Factors Transformed
% Break Factors Saved
% Tie Breaks Gained
% Deciding Units Gained
Novak Djokovic
44.1%
65.5%
66.0%
72.8%
Pete Sampras
40.6%
67.9%
64.1%
69.3%
Rafael Nadal
44.9%
66.2%
60.4%
68.5%
Roger Federer
41.1%
67.3%
65.3%
65.2%
Carlos Alcaraz
41.1%
63.2%
62.6%
70.1%
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
40.0%
69.9%
56.5%
71.4%
Break Factors Transformed (40.0%): GMP’s conversion charge is beneath many of the profession leaders, aligning intently with gamers like Pete Sampras (40.6%) and Kei Nishikori (40.6%). Elite gamers like Nadal (44.9%) and Djokovic (44.1%) keep greater charges as you’d count on.
Break Factors Saved (69.9%): GMP excels in break factors saved, surpassing all others on this record. His skill to fend off break factors displays sturdy psychological resilience and talent to land underneath strain.
Tie Breaks Gained (56.5%): Perricard’s tie-break efficiency (56.5%) is decrease than that of a number of different gamers, with Djokovic (66.0%) and Federer (65.3%) main the best way.
Deciding Units Gained (71.4%): GMP’s efficiency in deciding units is outstanding, putting him near Djokovic (72.8%) and forward of many others.
How Does Perricard Ship Such Bombs?
Technically, his serve advantages from what’s been referred to as a “one-two-three rhythm,” the place he transitions his weight from again to entrance foot whereas making a secure base and explosive follow-through.
His corkscrew-like motion lets him maintain his chest open and generate the rotational energy that makes his serve so deadly.
Alongside all the basics of a superb serve, he additionally has a fast arm motion, which not all gamers possess.
That will get him by way of the shot quickly, with a low-ish ball toss the place he makes contact on the apex to supply that💥
Intuitive Tennis, who has a fantastic serve himself, does a fantastic job at analysing gamers’ fundamentals and quirks and figuring out if you happen to can replicate them. Test it out for an in-depth have a look at the GMP serve:
Closing Ideas
Tennis followers typically give huge servers a nasty rep for being boring, however I’ve all the time loved them.
Federer in opposition to Karlovic at Wimbledon or in opposition to Isner on arduous courts was such a enjoyable matchup, and as Fed used to say, it’s like a penalty shootout.
Perricard has the traits of the large servers of the Nineties, and he reveals little interest in drawing out factors. As a substitute, he makes use of his function each a sword and a protect, attacking whereas holding opponents at bay, and I discover that entertaining to look at.
Along with his 100% break factors saved in Basel and 67.6% tie-break win charge for the season, we have now a participant who performs his finest when the stakes are highest and provides one thing totally different within the sport.
Are you a GMP fan? Will the serve change into much more necessary going ahead? Let me know within the feedback.
