All-French Matchup Set For Wimbledon Doubles Final

There are few certainties in life beside death and taxes, but one can be sure that the Wimbledon doubles title will be claimed by an All-French team for only the second time in the Open Era.

Top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the 2015 US Open doubles champions, and unseeded Julien Bennteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who won the 2014 Roland Garros title, will play for the coveted trophy on Centre Court Saturday. The other French duo to capture the Wimbledon title was Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra, who pipped Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan for the crown in 2007.

“It’s good for French tennis,” said Mahut. “We know they are a really good team. They won Roland Garros already. Every time they play together they have some success. Hopefully we are going to win.”

“The final is going to be special for sure,” said Benneteau. “They have had a very successful year so far, they are second in the race and very strong. We know each other very well and we will have to stay focused on our game and forget who is on the other side of the net.”

Herbert and Mahut lead the teams’ FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup 1-0, having won in three sets in the 2015 Australian Open quarter-finals. Saturday’s winners will snap a streak of 11 Grand Slam championships won by different doubles teams. 

The final will be an intriguing one, as both teams know each other’s games inside and out. Benneteau and Mahut, born a month apart, enjoyed a successful partnership in the junior ranks, winning the 1999 US Open juniors doubles together and being named the year’s ITF Junior Boys’ Doubles World Champions. At tour-level, Benneteau and Mahut won two ATP World Tour titles and reached two US Open semi-finals (2004 and 2007) while Mahut/Roger-Vasselin captured four ATP World Tour titles as a team between 2012 and 2013.

Herbert and Mahut have been on a roll since winning their first Grand Slam title together at the 2015 US Open. The pair swept this year’s first three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, before winning the Aegon Championships prior to Wimbledon. In addition to reaching their maiden Wimbledon doubles final, the pair also enjoyed successful runs in the singles draw. Mahut edged Herbert in four sets to reach the Last 16 for the first time at in a Grand Slam singles draw, while Herbert’s third-round showing matches a career best set at the 2016 Australian Open.

When asked why Herbert and Mahut have been so successful, former World No. 1 Mark Woodforde, who has been working with the top seeds, told ATPWorldTour.com, “Confidence plays a big part, belief and the drive about wanting to be the best.

“Pierre-Hugues and Nico have the attributes to be one of the best teams. They have climbed that mountain this year and now it’s not just about getting to the very top, but it’s about pushing yourself higher. Because if you plateau when you’re No. 1, the only way you’re going to go is down.

“That’s what I’ve been helping them with, telling them that the ride up to the top is terrific. They play serve and volley tennis and aggressive tennis as singles players. In being singles player, it can help them to become a very good doubles team. They’ve won big events and they built an aura for themselves.”

Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin renewed their partnership earlier this year after Benneteau recovered from an adductor injury which kept him out of action for nearly a year. The pair are into their second Grand Slam final, having beaten Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in front of a home crowd in Paris two years ago. They are looking for a third tour-level title as a team (2014 Marseille).

Herbert and Mahut come into the final as the slightly fresher team, having spent three fewer hours on court than Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin (10:12 to 13:21). Both teams have put up identical returning stats, winning 27 per cent of first-serve return points and 47 per cent of second-return points. The top seeds have been slightly more aggressive on serve, hitting their first deliveries harder (119 mph to 114mph) and firing more aces (38-22) during the fortnight.

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