Hugo Gaston should not harbor too many regrets after his defeat against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, seeded n°1 of the Marrakech tournament (ATP 250). Beaten dryly in two sets (6-2, 6-3), the Toulousain was never able to thwart the plans of the 21st player in the world, whom he met for the first time on the main ATP circuit, but that he has played many times in juniors, then in the qualifications of the Paris Masters 1000 and in the NextGen tournament in 2021. “We know each other by heart with Lorenzo, but it’s true that today I didn’t have many solutions, I didn’t feel very comfortable in the game and he played very relaxed”agreed Gaston, before heading to the airport, towards Monte-Carlo, to compete in qualifying.
“I am confident, I feel very good. My tennis is there. Physically, mentally, everything is fine”
Dropped by his serve during a first act without major rallies that could have brought him rhythm, Hugo Gaston then appeared a little more aggressive at the start of the second set, before giving up his face-off at 3-3, on a cushioning badly touched and a double fault in particular. “I had a few chances, I couldn’t take them. I must continue, I must return to work “positive Carlos Alcaraz’s heartthrob at Bercy (2021). “I am confident, I feel very good. My tennis is there. Physically, mentally, everything is fine. »
A new coach
The road is however still long for the former protege of Marc Barbier. At 22, Gaston wants to give a new impetus to his career and has started a collaboration in Morocco with a new coach, the former 14th in the Moroccan world, Younès El Aynaoui, without it being stopped in time for the instant. ” It is going very well. We haven’t talked about the sequel yet, but I have a good feeling with him. We are going to have a discussion very soon.”advised Gaston.
While waiting to stabilize the new working bases, the former eighth finalist at Roland-Garros in 2020 clearly lacked solutions on Thursday to annoy the Italian on the Central of the Royal Tennis Club of Marrakech, finally considered practicable in the middle of afternoon, when it had been planned not to set foot on it all day at first. “With the sun, the ground dried up in the afternoon. We went to check the court, we saw if it was playable and the two players agreed to play on the Central »explained Gaston.
