The lucky-loser who had never played on grass before this year is in the second round of the London Grand Slam.
At Wimbledon,
It was at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament in the world, that Hugo Grenier scored his first victory on the circuit. Not bad for a first. Drafted in qualifying (lucky-loser), the 26-year-old Frenchman played his first Wimbledon and his first tournament on grass. ” Like in a dream, I’m like a kid “, he laughs. Beaten in the last round of qualifying, he was finally drafted. He can thank… Gaël Monfils: “ The four highest-ranked third-round qualifying losers are drawn. I finished second. With the withdrawal of Gaël I could not enter the table “. And he was able to seize this opportunity against an opponent, himself from qualifying.
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Grenier won after a five-set tussle against Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler, 104e world (6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 2-6, 6-4). « It was only my second best-of-five-set match. I managed pretty well but in the fourth set, it was a bit hard, I was nervous. In the fifth, I managed to regain some composure and read his serve better. This victory means a lot. There are my parents, my coach, I share great moments, it’s a springboard, I want to continue “. And to say that he had never played on grass before this year: ” I only have fifteen days of grass behind me, he lets go. It’s a surface that suits me well. It’s quite entertaining. I enjoy playing on it. And I like to play pretty low ».
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With its large size (1.96 m), the 141e world can rely on his big serve (he served 15 aces in his first round) with a rather atypical preparation. A spectacular rocking from front to back with his right leg. ” I am told that I have a special service. I have accentuated it for two or three years. Sometimes I may not hit the ball high enough but I have the momentum to go forward. The native of Montbrison (Rhône Alpes) will not win points this year at Church Road (editor’s note: due to the decision of the authorities, following the boycott of Russian players), but will receive a large check. At least £78,000 (€92,000) for qualifiers at 2e round. A very large sum for a player who had only accumulated 290,007 euros in his career (he has been a pro since 2013)… ” There are no points but there is a great prize money. I mainly play on the challenger circuit (2e division) where the sums are not huge. It allows us to look to the future a little more calmly”. And if he wins this Thursday against the Chilean Christian Garin, 52e world, Grenier will certainly switch to another dimension.
