Felix Auger-Aliassime spared took some time to comment on how Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve may impact his matches.
The Frenchman is still relatively new to the ATP Tour but he has already made a significant impression on fans and has rivals.
At such a young age Perricard possesses one of the best serves in the game and is not afraid to add more speed and power even at the risk of a double fault.
It is a serious weapon and one that Felix Auger-Aliassime thinks may affect how the 20-year-old’s matches are perceived moving forward.
Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesWhat did Felix Auger-Aliassime say about Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve?
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is certainly one of the top young stars on the ATP Tour.
His serve alone is enough to cause his opponents plenty of problems and his heavy groundstrokes are not to be scoffed at.
The 20-year-old can win a lot of free points with his serve and Perricard going for second serves at the same speed as his average first serve is risky, but it has been working for him more often than not.
Consequently, Auger-Aliassime thinks this could impact how fans feel about watching his matches due to more frequent shorter points.
Also commenting on how players try to return to his serve, the Canadian told reporters: “That’s kind of what we were talking about with the stats. He probably believes that going for two first serves is more efficient than going for a second serve.
“Then for the fans maybe you see less rallies, maybe it’s not as fun. Probably he looked at it with his coach and thought this is the best way to go for him. We’ll see how it goes throughout his career. Hopefully it works for him.
“I know players will adjust, that’s for sure. Like Daniil said, you kind of just guess, use reflexes, or you just take a side and say you’re not going to ace me on the T, but try to ace me there.
“You can’t really stay in the middle because it goes too fast. If he serves well, either way you have to kind of block one side. There’s many ways to go about it, but we’ll see how players deal with him in the next few years.”
Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty ImagesWhat are Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serving numbers?
Perricard has already served 704 aces in his young career, and he makes 65% of his first serves.
He has won an impressive 79% of points behind his first serve, and has won over 50% of points behind his second serve.
The statistic has helped him win two titles in his career so far and go on a run to the Adelaide International semi-finals in 2025.
Perricard lost to Daniil Medvedev at the Dubai Tennis Championships, but he will be a huge threat throughout the North American swing in Indian Wells and Miami.