Latest news with #Perricard
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Perricard exits Wimbledon but makes mark with fastest serve
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2025 France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in action during his first round match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq LONDON (Reuters) -Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard departed Wimbledon as a first-round loser but the Frenchman left his mark on the Grand Slam with the fastest serve recorded in the tournament's history - a 153 mph (246 kph) missile against Taylor Fritz on Monday. Perricard, whose match was later suspended due to the local 11pm curfew and resumed on Tuesday, was beaten 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4 but much of the talk in his press conference was about his status as a "serve-bot" in the men's game. That was largely due to the 21-year-old's reputation for consistently hitting huge serves and his record-breaking effort in the opening game of the contest which eclipsed the previous tournament mark of 148 mph set by American Taylor Dent in 2010. "I didn't check the speed, to be honest. I saw that last night. I lost the point. I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do," Perricard told reporters. "We don't train a lot to be honest on this part of my game. It comes naturally." Australian Sam Groth hit the fastest recorded serve at a professional event with a 163.7 mph (263.4 kph) rocket at the Busan Challenger in 2012, a match he lost in straight sets to prove big serves can be blunt weapons in the modern game. Perricard, whose thundering deliveries are greatly aided by him being 6ft 8in, said he expected serves to only get faster in the future as players push the limits of their physicality. "Players are stronger," he added. "They have bigger shoulders, so I don't know, 260 (kph), 270 (kph) maybe the next one is going to be." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Perricard exits Wimbledon but makes mark with fastest serve
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2025 France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in action during his first round match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq LONDON - Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard departed Wimbledon as a first-round loser but the Frenchman left his mark on the Grand Slam with the fastest serve recorded in the tournament's history - a 153 mph (246 kph) missile against Taylor Fritz on Monday. Perricard, whose match was later suspended due to the local 11pm curfew and resumed on Tuesday, was beaten 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4 but much of the talk in his press conference was about his status as a "serve-bot" in the men's game. That was largely due to the 21-year-old's reputation for consistently hitting huge serves and his record-breaking effort in the opening game of the contest which eclipsed the previous tournament mark of 148 mph set by American Taylor Dent in 2010. "I didn't check the speed, to be honest. I saw that last night. I lost the point. I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do," Perricard told reporters. "We don't train a lot to be honest on this part of my game. It comes naturally." Australian Sam Groth hit the fastest recorded serve at a professional event with a 163.7 mph (263.4 kph) rocket at the Busan Challenger in 2012, a match he lost in straight sets to prove big serves can be blunt weapons in the modern game. Perricard, whose thundering deliveries are greatly aided by him being 6ft 8in, said he expected serves to only get faster in the future as players push the limits of their physicality. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seniors can claim $800 SG60 vouchers from July 1; adults to get $600 in vouchers from July 22 Singapore NSman, 30, dies in hospital after collapsing outside Maju Camp Asia Thai PM's suspension could spell end of Shinawatra clan's era of political dominance Singapore Judge rejects woman's claim that she owns 99% of Bukit Timah condo mostly paid for by ex-boyfriend Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 Singapore Trial opens for 3 women who allegedly organised procession outside Istana Business Do not overcommit to a single solution in a multi-polar world, says ex-foreign minister George Yeo Singapore 1MDB saga: Standard Chartered Bank disputes $3.4 billion claim by liquidators in Singapore "Players are stronger," he added. "They have bigger shoulders, so I don't know, 260 (kph), 270 (kph) maybe the next one is going to be." REUTERS
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Wimbledon: The servebots need a new trick to win
Mumbai: There was a deafening thud. Then a deft touch. The thud fetched a collective awe. The touch earned the point. France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard dished a 153 mph serve — it was the fastest in Wimbledon history. (REUTERS) This is the story of a 6'8' giant throwing down the gauntlet in the form of the fastest serve ever recorded in Wimbledon history, and yet, losing the point. This is also the story of modern-day tennis, across gender, where possessing a powerful serve alone may not hand you the match on a platter. In the opening game of his first-round match against Taylor Fritz on Monday, Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard smoked a 153mph shot off his racquet that might as well have been a bazooka. It broke the record for the fastest serve ever recorded in the history of tennis' oldest Grand Slam, comfortably going past Tayor Dent's previous mark of 148mph set in 2010. It was eye-popping. What happened after that, though, was more business as usual. Fritz responded to that sizzling body serve with an ice-cool forehand chip. The return sent Perricard scrambling sideways to loop the ball back into play. Two shots later, Fritz won the point. Electric start, easy end. Ditto the match that Fritz won 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4 across two days. The point, and the match itself, is emblematic of the modern game. Even at Wimbledon, where one-strike monsters once feasted on those faster grass courts. Goran Ivanisevic would blaze through his 2001 Wimbledon triumph as a wildcard relying largely on his lightning left-handed serve. Across his seven singles final wins at the All England Club, Pete Sampras would drop just four service games from his total 131, as per the Wimbledon Compendium. The John Isner-Nicolas Mahut 2010 marathon, among the most iconic contests at Wimbledon, would feature a combined 216 aces. Isner served 113 of them, the highest in a singles match till date. Isner also holds the record for the most aces by a man in a single Championships – 214 in 2018. Serena Williams has the women's record (102 in 2012). Last year, Perricard topped the aces count among men and Elena Rybakina among the women. The number: 115 and 39, respectively. A drastic dip. Perricard exited in the fourth round, Rybakina in the semi-final. The reliance and reward of a powerful serve as the biggest weapon is hardly as rich as before. If it were, the likes of Isner, Ivo Karlovic and Reilly Opelka, the fastest servers the men's game has seen in the last decade, would have fancied a singles Grand Slam title. Only Isner has made as far as the semi-final among the three. On the ATP's serve leaderboard – it takes into account the overall service quality including first serves, second serves and aces – of the past 52 weeks, Perricard sits on top ahead of Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini. Neither has a major trophy. It takes Jannik Sinner for a Slam champion to emerge on that list at fifth place. Several factors have contributed to this serve slide. The courts, even those freshly-minted greens at SW19, have increasingly gotten slower over the years. The balls tend to vary from tournament to tournament, the lack of uniformity bringing an extra variable at play. Baseliners have taken over, irrespective of the surface, with greater attention to a more solid all-round game. No better than the Big Three of men's tennis to exemplify that, individually and collectively. Roger Federer had a 21-3 win-loss record against Andy Roddick, who flaunted a big serve as his USP. Federer had a bigger serve from the trio, but Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, and 22-time Slam winner Rafael Nadal also often made light work of the servebots. More recent proof of the first strike invariably not having the final say, even on grass? The 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon champion is Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard carrying the serve as his game's weaker facet.
a day ago
- Sport
Taylor Fritz returns fastest serve in opening match at Wimbledon
American tennis star Taylor Fritz is off to a strong start at The Championships, securing his first win on the iconic grass court after returning the fastest serve ever recorded at Wimbledon. New Wimbledon record with 153 mph serve The U.S. Open runner-up returned a top-speed serve at 153 mph off unranked Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening game of their match Monday. The World No. 5 men's singles player not only returned the new record-setting serve, but controlled the rally to win the point. Perricard's record breaks the previous mark that American Taylor Dent set with his 148-mph serve in 2010, ESPN first reported. The pair's match was postponed at 10:20 p.m. local time until Tuesday, shortly after Fritz battled back from two sets down to force a decisive fifth set following his tiebreak win in the fourth. The crowd audibly criticized the umpire's ruling, booing the decision and announcement that they would suspend play for the late time, which was nearing Wimbledon's 11 p.m. curfew. Taylor Fritz wins delayed Wimbledon opening match On Tuesday, Fritz and Perricard resumed on Court No. 1. The 27-year-old San Diego native controlled the final set 6 games to 4 for his first win of the tournament. How to watch Wimbledon, full schedule
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Taylor Fritz brands Perricard mega serve 'bad' for one reason as he shows true colours in Wimbledon interview
Fritz wasn't convinced by Perricard's incredible serve after winning the point against his opponent Taylor Fritz delivered an uncharacteristically colourful interview after edging past Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to reach the second round of Wimbledon – saying his opponent's record-breaking serve proved something he's always believed. World No.5 Fritz was taken all the way by the unfancied French player, who took their Monday night first-round encounter into a second day after a winner couldn't be found last night. It went to a fifth set with two tie-breakers fought out along the way but Fritz eventually won out, taking the final set 6-4. That wasn't before Mpetshi Perricard made some Wimbledon history though. In the opening set, he recorded the fastest serve the competition has ever seen at 153mph. But Fritz, incredibly, won the point. Speaking after the win, a relieved Fritz was asked about it in front of the cameras on No.1 court and said: "Well yeah, I'd been saying to my coaches all week. They kept asking me to body serve, and I said I hate body serving, I never seem to win the point. "So he hits a body serve there, as fast as that, and I win the point. So there's your proof, body serves are bad!" It was meant in good humour as a smiling Fritz lapped up the adulation of the Wimbledon crowd. Fritz doesn't often give much away and that colourful exchange between the BBC interviewer and the American caught the attention of former Australian star Todd Woodbridge on co-commentary. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
