Who is Ugo Humbert, Sinner’s opponent in Monte Carlo

A tour of Ugo Humbert’s profiles to discover that tennis is a lot, but not everything. A trip to Instagram to take a look at the Frenchman’s account, in search of favorite posts. The ones in evidence. There is only one. A photo of the round of 16 reached at Wimbledon on the first try? A memory of the final against Zverev in Bercy? A celebration of any of the 7 ATP titles won so far? No way: him smiling at the camera explaining “A little time for my second passion” and then starting Una Mattina by Einaudi on the piano, the soundtrack of Quasi Amici which is perhaps also the definition of his relationship with Sinner. After all, they have known each other since the dawn of time: a Challenger in Ortisei, a ride together on the San Siro lawn, a couple of precedents dating back to a few years ago. And a third match is upon us: Ugo Humbert is the opponent with whom Jannik debuts in Monte Carlo.

from the butcher’s shop

—

It is said that around Metz, asking for Humbert means finding yourself not on a tennis court, but… in a butcher’s shop. The family one, where the class of ’98 lent his parents a hand in serving customers when there was time: it seems to be very busy, one of the most talked about in the city. Dad and mum set an example with their work, tennis as a dream from an early age: Ugo grew up like this, making room, on the threshold of adolescence, for a keyboard which he still doesn’t part with today. He injured himself in Poitiers, during the first days of training camp with the federal coaches, and released his daily tensions on the piano: “Music is fundamental, it distracts me from tennis. At 11 I was the strongest Frenchman among my peers, but the injury slowed me down for more than a year. The piano helped me.”

with Sinner in Milan

—

Energy management is one of the factors that the coaches have to work on with the young Humbert: “I don’t have to go overboard, I’m getting used to the game” he said years ago, at the height of his maturation. The coaches said about him that he wanted to continually shorten the exchange, stun his opponent with drops and backs: add a touch of colour, like a good pianist. He hasn’t lost quality, on the contrary: but to survive on the circuit he also needed muscles and solidity from the baseline. Like those he appreciates one afternoon at the Challenger in Ortisei, where Sinner observes: “He seemed strong in the exchange, six months later he was in the top 100. You see him play and he seems immersed in a bubble, he doesn’t leave you time either on the forehand or on the backhand, he always knows how to put pressure on you” he said of him some time ago. The two smell each other during the experience at the Next Gen Finals in Milan in 2019: they share a passion for football, so they smile toothily (especially the blue one) when Milan invites them and the other six finalists to San Siro for the match against Lazio. Humbert supports Metz but winks at PSG, thanks to his friendship with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembelé. And how does it end on the tennis court? The Frenchman wins: it is the last crossing of the round robin, effectively useless because Sinner is already first and Humbert eliminated. But the blue still takes note.

horseback riding in bercy

—

Jannik scores and passes back to the next corner. That is, in Rome, May 2021: here the South Tyrolean equalizes the head-to-head score with a peremptory 6-2 6-4. It is the last match played between the two: in five years the Italian experienced the exploit that we all know, the transalpine cultivated the enviable score of six finals played and as many won, from Auckland 2020 to Dubai 2024, among which a couple of 500 titles stand out. At 1000 level he experienced the most exhilarating experience at home, on the fast indoor of Bercy 2024 when he made his way to the final by eliminating between the other Alcaraz: he falls in the last act against Zverev who at the end of the match admits: “The audience here is much hotter than Roland Garros”. Humbert receives a Davis Cup cheer and exits to applause.

THE GIRLFRIEND AND… NADAL

—

Tennis follows Ugo even away from the courts, considering that his girlfriend Tessah Andrianjafitrimo is also a professional racket player. The two may be less talked about than other couples on the circuit, but they are among the few who can say that one was the other’s coach: it happened at Marseille 2024, when Humbert found himself without coach Chardy and in the corner he listened to his partner’s advice all week. With extraordinary results, considering that he won the 250-point title: “Winning team, what a week!” the two ecstatic posted on social media. Of the 7 titles brought home, none arrived on clay. But Humbert guaranteed improvements there too: “In Monte Carlo I reached the quarter-finals once, it’s a surface I can play well on, even if I know it’s not the best. How have I improved? I watched a lot of videos of Nadal, I concentrated on his movements.” Of course, he also trained with Rafa: Anno Domini 2022, the Frenchman pushes to historic highs in the only set played and wins 6-2: “The best set of my life” he smiled thinking about it. Now he needs an encore.