Retro sport (14/16). The tennis player from Strasbourg wins, with his teammate Nicolas Mahut, the doubles Masters and Roland-Garros. But he missed his Olympic appointment and it leaves him with a bitter taste.
November 21, Turin (Italy). Pierre-Hugues Herbert and his doubles teammate Nicolas Mahut are enjoying it. By winning the Masters final, in 2021 they won an additional prestigious success, having already dominated Roland-Garros and the Queen’s in London (the second grass tournament after Wimbledon).
The Herbert-Mahut duo, a pair formed in 2014, is also rewarded this year for the first time by the title of “double of the year” by tennis supporters, a vote organized by the ATP (the association which manages men’s professional tennis).
“The victory at Roland Garros this year, with the return of the public, it was really special ” remembers Pierre-Hugues Herbert. “People were happy to be there. We felt that energy, it wasn’t the same tournament as in 2020.“
But the 30-year-old tennis player from Strasbourg experienced a big disappointment this year: elimination in the first round at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
This is the meeting we did not want to miss. We were undefeated since Roland Garros. But we were eliminated in the 1st round
“With Nico (Nicolas Mahut), the Olympics is the meeting that we did not want to miss. We were undefeated since Roland Garros. But we were eliminated in the first round by the British Murry / Salisburry “. An identical scenario to that of Rio in 2016.
The next Olympic Games will take place in France in 2024. “It is in the minds of all athletes necessarily“tells us P2H”but I try not to think about it because two full seasons is a long time, too much can happen.”
Before that there is the 2022 season. Pierre-Hugues Herbert “by personal choice” is not vaccinated against covid-19. He therefore cannot participate in the Australian Open. “There are a lot of unknowns so I’m just trying to focus on myself“he comments soberly.
