Twenty titles, five Grand Slams and a place in tennis history: The Mahut and Herbert story

The all-French pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert achieved a Career Grand Slam when triumphing at the 2019 Australian Open. A grand total of twenty titles were lifted in unison, a haul including five Grand Slams and a brace of ATP Finals crowns.

Herbert, who is still active on the circuit, was born on 18th March, 1991 in Schiltigheim, Alsace, France. The now retired Mahut is an Angers native born on 21st January 1982.

Their partnership really took off in the mid-2010s, though both have enjoyed success elsewhere, their doubles legacy is very much based on what they achieved as a duo.

The partnership of the two Frenchman immediately proved effective. They progressed to the 2015 Australian Open final, losing in straight sets to an all-Italian combination of Simon Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

Later in the year, Mahut and Herbert lifted their first silverware together. A triumph at the Queen's Club Championships came quickly after losing the title match at the Rosmalen Championships in the Netherlands.

Grand Slam redemption swiftly arrived in September. A semi-final win over Brit Dom Inglot and Swede Robert Lindstedt facilitated their presence in a second major final of 2015. The French duo went a step further by beating Jamie Murray, of Britain, and John Peers, from Australia, to win their first Grand Slam at the US Open.

The 2016 season cemented their reputation as the best pairing in the world. A total of six titles were amassed including a Wimbledon triumph.

Their opening title of the season came on the indoor hardcourts of Rotterdam. This was soon followed by the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami. A third Masters 1000 success would materialise at May’s Monte Carlo Masters.

Mahut and Herbert tuned up for Wimbledon by capturing the Queen's Club Championships title. At the All England Club, an all-French final ensued. Mahut and Herbert triumphing in straight sets over Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Mahut's first Grand Slam final was lost in partnership with Roger-Vasselin.

A quartet of titles were lifted by the Frenchman in 2017. This haul contained a trio of Masters 1000 wins in Rome, Montreal and Cincinnati. They also pocketed an indoor title in Marseille.

Their record in the majors this year was surprisingly ordinary. A quarter-final appearance in Melbourne was followed by just a solitary match win in the year's three remaining Grand Slams.

The 2018 campaign yielded a further four titles. It was a season illuminated by glory at their home major.

Progression into the French Open final came following a last four victory over Croat/Austrian duo Nikola Mektic and Alex Peya. Their final opponents, also from those two nations, Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, were defeated in straight sets.

At the first time of asking, Mahut and Herbert claimed the Career Grand Slam that places you into the annals of tennis greats. The 2019 Australian Open completed their set. It materialised after a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Finn Henri Kontinen and Peers.

There would be further successes in the 2019 season. All of these were lifted in the autumn. The Japan Open crown was succeeded by maiden triumphs at the Paris Masters and season-ending ATP Finals. They were also beaten finalists at Wimbledon.

The Covid-affected year of 2020 saw them fail to add any more Grand Slams. They still combined to lift three ATP titles. The pick of these was a fourth Rotterdam Open title.

Second title in Paris before Herbert begins to focus more on singles

Their 2021 season took lift-off when they emerged victorious at the French Open. Coming from a set down, Mahut and Herbert edged out Kazakhstan pairing Alexander Bublik and Andre Golubev to land a fifth Grand Slam title together.

The season saw additional glories including a third title at Queen's Club and a second lifting of the ATP Tour Finals.

Their last title in unison came in February 2022 at the Open Sud De France. Herbert then opted to focus almost entirely on his singles game.

Mahut then reconvened with his former partner Roger-Vasselin. They would lift the Firenze Open, in October, before losing the four remaining finals of Mahut’s lengthy career.

Mahut played a serve and volley brand of tennis that had entered a decline as he emerged on the scene in the early part of the 20th century. It limited his progression in an increasingly baseline dominated game, but he could still prove a tricky opponent on faster surfaces.

His best run in a singles major unfolded at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, reaching the last 16. On seven other occasions, Mahut progressed to round three.

Mahut accumulated four singles titles. All of these came on his favoured grass, three of which were the Rosmalen Championships in the Netherlands. He also won the 2013 Hall of Fame Championship in Rhode Island, Newport. Mahut’s singles ranking peaked at 37. Lleyton Hewitt and Stan Wawribka were two of the players he bested in singles finals.

Herbert has featured in four ATP singles finals. They were all at 250 level, and he was beaten in all of them.

A total of four appearances in round three of the Grand Slams remain his best showing at any of the sport's majors. Despite no singles title, Herbert has reached a place higher (number 36) in the singles world rankings.

For all his success on the doubles court, Mahut is most famous for being involved in a scarcely believable tennis match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. In a second round contest with giant American John Isner, these two protagonists delivered a contest that smashed records for the longest match in tennis history.

The contest began on Tuesday evening at 6.13pm and play was suspended at just after nine that evening. They returned at 2.05 pm on Wednesday afternoon, and began their fifth set. The match exceeded the previous record - six hours and 33 minutes - for the longest match at 5.45pm. Play then stretched on until bad light at 9.09pm curtailed the affair and took it into a third day. The score was now astonishingly 59-59. Resuming on Thursday at 3.40pm, Mahut and Isner couldn't be separated until Isner broke the Frenchman at 68-68. He consolidated the break to win 70-68.

The new record stood now at an extraordinary 11 hours and 5 minutes, a full four hours and 42 minutes longer than the previous benchmark. The total of 183 games was unsurprisingly a further record. The last set took over eight hours to complete. Both men became the only players to serve over 100 aces in a match.

A plaque is erected on court 18 where the match took place to acknowledge this world record. Such was the interest in what occurred, interviews took place that are normally the preserve of showcourt matches only.

The match was ultimately a factor in the situation where we now have tiebreaks at 6-6 in deciding sets in all tournaments as opposed to winning by two clear games. It was a historical event but the truth is no breaks if served for an extended period of time can be monotonous and is not conducive for television schedules.

France's last win in the Davis Cup came in 2017, a 3-2 home win over Belgium. Mahut and Herbert both put points on the board during the French winning run that year.

Together, playing in the doubles rubber, they secured a win over Japan in round one and in the semis over Serbia. Separately. Mahut and Benneteau beat Britain's Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot in the quarter-finals. It was only Herbert who featured in the final, partnering singles specialist Richard Gasquet to victory over Belgian pair Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore to give France a 2-1 lead.

Mahut is married to wife Virginie. They have one son together, Natanel, who is known for attending his father's matches. He went viral after rushing onto the court at Roland Garros after Mahut had lost in the singles event. Natanel is now 15 years old.

Herbert married Julia Lang, a former communications student, in September 2021. They have two sons, Harper (born 2020) and Leandre (born 2023). His youngest, when aged just four months, suffered with hyperinsulism, but thankfully made a recovery.

Mahut retired in 2025 but Herbert, currently ranked 269, is still operating on the circuit. He's currently coached by Fabrice Santoro. Their partnership is defined by their Career Grand Slam but they also amassed several Masters 1000 titles and a brace of ATP Finals wins. Their most successful French doubles pairing, for either sex, of the Open Era.