French trio seek relevance as alpha males vie for supremacy at Australian Open

paul myers

Sat, 11 Jan 2025, 3:40 am·1-min read

Ugo Humbert will go into the 2025 Australian Open as France's top tennis player.

France's Ugo Humbert, Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard go into the season's first Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open aiming to prove that their strong finish to 2024 was no fluke.

Humbert ended 2024 by reaching the final at the Paris Masters, one of the most prestigious events on the circuit after the four Grand Slam championships at the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Last week, of his intent for 2025, Mpetshi Perricard literally served notice. He unleashed a barrage of aces from his 2.03m frame on his way to the semis at the Brisbane International.

Fils advanced to the quarter-finals at the Hong Kong Open where he was beaten by compatriot Alexandre Müller who went on to claim the title.

As a result of his success, Müller rose 11 places in the ATP lists to 56 in the world and the 27-year-old will start in Melbourne against Nuno Borges from Portugal.

Humbert, France's top tennis player at number 14, will begin his seventh visit to the Australian Open against the 23-year-old Italian Matteo Gigante who came through the three qualifying rounds to attain the main draw.