ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2025

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Are you ready for tomorrow? How has your preparing been going until now?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: I feel good. We trained well the last few days. We're getting used to the conditions. They're a little different, but I think I'm okay, and we'll see how it goes.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. We saw you after Auger-Aliassime in Hamburg. What do you feel about this tournament? How do you feel mentally after this tournament and then when you arrived in Roland Garros?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: I feel okay. It was good to win some matches continuously. It enabled me to do a lot of things. You know, I did a lot of good training, and I was able to put it into practice in the matches.

It was great in Bordeaux, for example. So mentally it is good for you. You know, each game is different, and we've got to have new things and learn different things. So we've got to see how I approach this tournament.

Q. In Bordeaux did you find the solution for what was going wrong the last few weeks, or was it just a question of winning some matches?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: Yeah, it's true that I felt that the conditions were good because it gave me an advantage because it was very warm and the court was smaller, so this was throughout key moments which didn't happen in the other matches where I was losing. Therefore, for example, I was able to create the difference and then rely on my strengths instead of trying to find fault with the adversary. I think this is what made a big difference with those matches in Bordeaux.

Q. As No. 3 of the French men, there's a lot of expectations of you like with Hugo and Arthur. How do you manage this expectation of the French public?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: It's true that every time we go to Roland Garros, there are expectations. That's part of the game. That's part of the game, part of the whole thing.

I'm young. I'm a young player. Every year there's going to be expectations that I'm going to disappoint them or not. Those are the expectations of the public, and I've got my own expectations. So if I manage to live up to my own expectations, that's going to be a lot of progress for me.

Q. (Indiscernible).

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: I'm just going to have to be okay for tomorrow.

Q. We saw that you were here for the little sister who was playing. Was it good to have two people in the one family here playing at Roland Garros?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: Yeah, of course, it was great to have somebody from my own family playing here. Quite frankly, it was great to see somebody from my own family playing here at Roland Garros. I know that it's her dream.

I know that she wanted to do better. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but she's got a lot of time ahead of her, and I think she's going to succeed.

But I think that she saw that she didn't have the level to beat somebody who was in the top 200, but I was very, very happy to see her.

Q. Zizou Bergs, your first adversary, was it an easy draw? How do you see this?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: No, no, no, it's not an easy draw when you are playing against Zizou Bergs. It's true that Zizou is a very good player. We already met last year on grass, and he played very well last year as well. I think he finished eighth in the third round.

So it's a very, very powerful player. He's very good. So I'm going to have to find through my own weapons to rival him, and I think it's going to be a good match.

Q. This is Richard Gasquet's last Roland Garros. How has he inspired you? What can you tell us about that?

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: It's a player that I looked at and that I admired when I was younger and when we put the tele on, so I was a fan of sorts. That side is still awake in me. It's never easy to see. There was Jo, but he wasn't as good when I was watching the telly, but it's not easy to watch somebody who dedicated a lot of his life to his sport to have to turn a new page. It's going to be moving. I hope he's going to enjoy his matches, and I hope that he does well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Your sister is at the juniors. I want to hear how your sister is going with her tennis at the moment.

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: I'm not the coach of my sister, but I think pretty good.

Q. (Indiscernible).

GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD: She lost in the second round of the quallie. Yeah, I mean, she's doing good. To be honest, I mean, I'm trying to follow her sometimes to see the result in juniors, but I mean, it's tough. I'm always traveling to play, but sometimes yeah, I try to see her play. Yeah, she's doing good.