Felix Auger-Aliassime on Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s thunderous serve: "Maybe it’s not as fun for the fans":

Felix Auger-Aliassime spoke about how Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve affects his opponents on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman has made a breakthrough in recent months, quickly securing a place in the top 30.

Undoubtedly, the most outstanding feature of Mpetshi Perricard's game is the power of his serve, with a first serve exceeding 230 km/h (143 mph) and a second serve that barely drops in speed.

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The 21-year-old claimed his first ATP 500 title in October last year, defeating Ben Shelton with remarkable serving statistics. His first serve reached a top speed of 241 km/h (150 mph), while his average speeds were 221 km/h (138 mph) on first serve and 213 km/h (132 mph) on second serve.

He currently leads the ATP Tour in average aces per match (19.3), well ahead of Hubert Hurkacz (12.5). He also wins 90% of his service games, trailing only Jannik Sinner (91.4%) and Matteo Berrettini (90.2%). According to ATP stats, he ranks first in serve rating (302.1), ahead of Berrettini (299.2) and Alexander Zverev (297.5).

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At just 21 years old, Mpetshi Perricard seems destined to be among the greatest servers in history, provided he maintains these numbers throughout his career. He wins a high percentage of short points, and most of his service points don’t extend beyond three or four shots.

His second serve is particularly troublesome for opponents, as it barely drops in speed—often being faster than many players' first serves on the Tour. This was something Auger-Aliassime discussed in his latest press conference: "That’s kind of what we were talking about with the stats. He probably believes that going for two first serves is more efficient than going for a second serve."

This week, Auger-Aliassime reached his third final of the season. He'll look for another title against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"For the fans, maybe you see fewer rallies, maybe it’s not as fun. Probably he looked at it with his coach and thought this is the best way to go for him. We’ll see how it goes throughout his career. Hopefully, it works for him," the Canadian added. "I know players will adjust, that’s for sure. Like Daniil said, you kind of just guess, use reflexes, or you take a side and say, ‘You’re not going to ace me on the T, but try to ace me there.’"

"You can’t really stay in the middle because it goes too fast. If he serves well, you have to block one side. There are many ways to go about it, but we’ll see how players deal with him in the next few years."

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Auger-Aliassime eyes third title of the season in Dubai

Auger-Aliassime is preparing for Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Canadian has already claimed two titles this season (Adelaide International and Open 13 Provence) and will be seeking his third trophy against the Greek.

With a 16-4 record this season, third place in the Race, and his return to the top 20 secured, the 24-year-old is enjoying another impressive week on tour. Against Tsistipas they have 9 previous meetings, in which the Canadian has won three times and the Greek six times.

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