"Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is the best worst player"; "Anti tennis”: Fans react to Frenchman's 'extraordinary' stat after Paris Masters loss

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the 21-year-old Frenchman, exited the ongoing 2024 Rolex Paris Masters after losing to Karen Khachanov in the second round. However, Mpetshi Perricard had initially won the first set against Khachanov, despite only winning two points on return in the whole set. This prompted a variety of reactions from tennis fans.

2024 has been Mpetshi Perricard's breakthrough year on the ATP Tour. The 21-year-old has won two titles - the Lyon Open (ATP 250) and more recently, the Swiss Indoors Basel (ATP 500). He also reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships. Much of his success has been due to his incredible serving ability. Astonishingly, none of his opponents could break his serve at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Mpetshi Perricard got his Rolex Paris Masters campaign started with a statement win over former World No. 10 and two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. However, the youngster could not get past the experienced Karen Khachanov in the second round, falling in a 7-6(12), 1-6, 4-6 loss to the Russian. Incredibly, Mpetshi Perricard won the first set despite winning only two out of the 37 points he and Khachanov played on the Frenchman's return during the set. Tennis journalist Bastien Fachan shared the statistic on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption:

"Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard just won a set in which he won 2/37 points on return, Extraordinary levels of efficiency"

Fans were divided over the statistic. Some looked at it positively and suggested that upon improving a few weaknesses in his game, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will establish himself as a feared player on the ATP Tour.

"Mpetshi Perricard is an absolute machine at serving, he just needs to improve his forehand, backhand, volley and feet movement to become the greatest tennis player I've ever seen," a fan wrote.

"He’s the best worst player I’ve ever seen," another commented.

"With a good all-around game he could be in the top five easy," one said.

Others though were less than impressed with the stat, and referred to the Frenchman as a 'serve bot'. Some even compared him to former players John Isner and Ivo Karlovic. Both Isner and Karlovic were notorious for their booming serves, but the other parts of their game mostly remained unpolished for the majority of their careers.

"Giovanni Mpetshi perricard is anti tennis. The worst one handed back hand I've ever seen in my life. His every return point is dependent on his opponents unforced error. No way anyone watches this guy and enjoys it," one fan wrote.

"I wouldn't say not winning any return points is a thing to be proud of tho? Set 2 and 3 kinda prove it's actually a big weakness, sth that heavily limited careers of big servers like Isner or Karlovic, GMP needs to work on it unless he wants to be known as just another servebot," another added.

"He went to the Karlovic School of Big Serves And Not Much Else," this fan weighed in.

Following his first-round win over Tiafoe at the Rolex Paris Masters, Mpetshi Perricard revealed how he adapted to the sudden media attention around him following his run to the fourth round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

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"Wimbledon was unexpected" - Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Source: Getty)

At a press conference following his impressive win over Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard shared how he is dealing with the media coverage that has come his way after his campaign at Wimbledon this year. He was not in the main draw of the grasscourt Major but earned his place there by playing his way through the qualifying rounds.

"It will help me. I did learn from it. It was not obvious after Wimbledon. I tried to shut myself out, to block out the rest of the world and focus on my tennis. Here it's different. I didn't even have time to make a break after Basel. I just started the tournament right after winning another. Now I feel more mature after Wimbledon. Wimbledon was unexpected, because I was not in the draw when it came out," he said.

The 21-year-old started 2024 ranked outside the top 200 but is now World No. 31, reflecting his mercurial rise.