Corentin Moutet is the No. 75 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and the youngest Frenchman in the Top 100.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the #NextGenATP Frenchman.

1) He Entered The ATP Challenger Tour History Books In 2019
Last season, Moutet became the first teenager in 12 years to lift ATP Challenger Tour trophies in three consecutive seasons. Following in the footsteps of Evgeny Korolev, who achieved the feat from 2005 to 2007, the Paris native added the Chennai trophy to his 2017 Brest title and 2018 Istanbul crown.

Four months after his title run in India, Moutet claimed his fourth Challenger trophy in front of a boisterous home crowd in Lyon. With his run to the title, the Frenchman cracked the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

2) He Finished 2019 In Style
At last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, Moutet impressed the home crowd in his final match of the year against Novak Djokovic. The 5’9” left-hander earned two set points in the first set and landed a tweener lob against the Serbian, ultimately losing 6-7(2), 4-6.

“[Moutet] is talented, very quick,” said Djokovic. “[He] returns a lot of balls back that usually other guys wouldn’t get. He gets it, and he was pumped. I respect his fighting spirit.”

3) He Makes Rap Music
In his time off the court, you may find Moutet writing lyrics for his latest rap song. The Parisian recently created a YouTube channel to showcase his music following a positive reaction from fellow players and coaches.

“The days can be long on site at tournaments, so I wanted to do something else,” said Moutet. “I’m usually writing, singing or rapping most of the time now. I try to write every day about my feelings or anything else that comes to mind.”

 

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Premier freestyle Inspiré par @melaniediamsofficiel Hésitez pas à partager si vous kiffez ?? #rapfrancais#rap#freestyle#1minute2rap

A post shared by Corentin Moutet (@corentin.moutet) on Mar 16, 2020 at 10:04am PDT

4) He Started 2020 In Peak Form
In his first event of 2020, Moutet made a breakthrough in Doha. The Next Gen ATP Finals contender won six straight matches from qualifying to advance to his maiden ATP Tour final.

In the main draw, Moutet overcame Tennys Sandgren, former World No. 3 Milos Raonic, 2017 semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to book a championship clash against Andrey Rublev. Despite losing to the Russian in the final, the Frenchman climbed 11 spots to a career-high World No. 70 after the tournament.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t win tonight because the opponent was too good. But I will remember this all my life,” said Moutet.

5) Moutet Aims To Inspire
Alongside ambitions of rising in the FedEx ATP Rankings and lifting ATP Tour titles, Moutet is also keen to use his platform to inspire tennis fans through his hard-working attitude. The Doha runner-up, who received his first tennis racquet aged two, prides himself on playing until the last point in every match.

“I want to try to inspire many people around the world when they are watching tennis, just to make them like this sport,” Moutet said. “I want to be remembered as a fighter, as a player who never gives up and gives everything on the court.”

Wimbledon was always Mark Philippoussis’ dream tournament. He fondly remembers staying up late to watch the final as a kid, especially when Boris Becker won the title in 1985 and Pat Cash triumphed in 1987.

That made it even more special when the Aussie reached the quarter-finals at The Championships each year from 1998-2000. Philippoussis’ big serve-and-volley game meshed perfectly with the London grass. But as his career wore on, Philippoussis’ left knee wreaked havoc on his career, leading to multiple surgeries. In 2002, the 1998 US Open finalist dropped as low as No. 148 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

But one match at 2003 Wimbledon helped remind the world what ‘The Scud’ was capable of. The Aussie reached his fifth Round of 16 at the All England Club, setting a clash against World No. 1 and second seed Andre Agassi. The American, one of the best returners in history, had long proven a foil for Philippoussis’ powerful game.

“With him, there’s no such thing as holding serve comfortably. No matter how big I was serving, if he had a chance to hit the ball, I was going to find it at my toes most of the time,” Philippoussis told ATPTour.com. “Not only did I have to serve as good as I can, but I knew I had to serve aces. It wasn’t good enough just to serve big.”

Mark Philippoussis” />

Aces proved vital for the Aussie that day at SW19. The World No. 48 hit a career-best 46 of them to battle past his rival 6-3, 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, earning one of the biggest wins of his career. The American had defeated Philippoussis in their past six ATP Head2Head meetings, including twice earlier that year, but the underdog’s confidence wasn’t shaken.

“It’s quite comfortable for me to say that when I walked on the court, I never felt like it was about my opponent. I knew it was about me with the tennis I played. I just knew that I had to focus on me,” Philippoussis said. “Especially when you’re playing someone like Andre, it’s even more important to focus on you, because you can’t focus on what your opponent does or what he’s going to do. It’s just losing energy thinking about that.”

That’s why the Aussie didn’t panic when Agassi won a third-set tie-break to take a two-sets-to-one lead. Philippoussis knew if he played his best, the match was still on his racquet.

“It’s just [about] staying in there [and] applying pressure,” Philippoussis said. “I kept playing my game and just hoped that over the match that as pressure built and [I] stayed on him, I’d end up with a little piece of that door opening up and I can kind of get through.”

Philippoussis, who broke in his first return game of the fourth set, believes that was the turning point. The Aussie saved two break points at 2-3 in the fifth set, then earned the decisive break in the next game.

Philippoussis crushed five aces in the following game to help stave off Agassi’s final two break points, eventually triumphing after three hours and 13 minutes.

“We both were doing well to sort of give ourselves the chances,” Agassi said. “He ended up being the one to take them in the end.”

Philippoussis nearly suffered a stunning defeat in the quarter-finals, overcoming a two-set deficit against fellow big-server Alexander Popp, the World No. 198.

“Thank goodness I actually had a rain delay and was able to go back in and just get myself together,” Philippoussis said. “I came out flat. After a match like Andre, beating a champion like that, I came out flat and almost paid the price. I wasn’t ready. At the top level, anyone could beat anyone.”

After defeating Sebastien Grosjean to reach his second Grand Slam final, only one man could end Philippoussis’ dream run: 21-year-old Roger Federer, who had yet to win a major.

“Walking into that match, I felt like I was the favourite. We were playing on grass. I don’t care who the person is or what he’s ranked. A couple months earlier I’d actually beaten him in Hamburg where he was defending champion on clay,” Philippoussis said. “I felt confident. I was living my dream.”

Federer defeated Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) to lift his first of a record eight Wimbledon trophies. Philippoussis was left disappointed, despite a magical run highlighted by his victory against Agassi.

“I’m not going to lie, it hurt,” Philippoussis said. “I got to the final. No one remembers the runners-up. Of course you don’t want to go all that way and lose. It was my second Grand Slam final loss and it hurt, especially this one. This one really, really hurt. I came back from some surgeries, they said my tennis career was over. I worked very hard. It was a beautiful two weeks, but I fell short.”

Ten years ago, Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner lost against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, respectively, in the Wimbledon singles draw. The good friends did not go home empty-handed, though.

They left the All England Club with the doubles title despite neither man previously reaching a Grand Slam final.

“Sometimes it feels like yesterday, sometimes it feels like 10 years ago, but it is one memory I will never forget,” Melzer told ATPTour.com. “I remember championship point. Philipp made a down-the-line passing shot and we just hugged each other all over the grass. Winning it with such a good friend makes it even more special. That’s why I will always cherish that moment we had, especially at the All England Club.”

Melzer lost in the fourth round of the singles draw against Federer, and Petzschner let slip a two-sets-to-one lead against Nadal in the third round. But they regrouped for a memorable doubles run. They had only played six tournaments together before that Wimbledon, all earlier in 2010. The unseeded Austrian-German duo did not lose a set in their first three matches.

“I think what helped us a lot that year, we only played one doubles match in the first week,” Melzer said. “That was very good for us and we could focus on doubles and didn’t lose too much energy.”

The team’s toughest test came in the semi-finals against seventh seeds Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman. Melzer and Petzschner led by a set and a break, but in a flash they were into a fifth set.

“Thank God we broke early in the fifth and we held serve. I will never forget, Philipp was one of those guys who never got tight. He was a clutch player when it mattered, and at 5-4 serving in the fifth, 15/30, he said, ‘Okay, I’m a little tight. I’m going to go for a little more on the serve,’” Melzer recalled. “I think he served ace, ace, service winner. He was serving more than 225 kilometres per hour all three serves. I was pretty happy with him being tight and serving that way.”

Melzer and Petzschner eliminated Moodie and Norman 7-6(3), 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3. The final was less complicated. They beat 16th seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-1, 7-5, 7-5 for the trophy. Both men still have a ball from that championship, and Petzschner has their nameplates from the All England Club.

“It was incredible, especially with a close friend, whom you share a lot of memories with the whole year. Putting yourself into the position of winning a Grand Slam at Wimbledon, our favourite tournament, I think we played well,” Melzer said. “We deserved to win after those two weeks, because we had just been the best team. I will never forget it and will always cherish it.”

After saving nine match points against Richard Gasquet earlier in the tournament, Nick Kyrgios made even greater headlines at the All England Club on his Centre Court debut against World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in 2014.

The World No. 144, who entered the contest on an 11-match winning streak at all levels, was aiming to become the first man outside the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to beat a World No. 1 at a Grand Slam in 22 years. The last man to achieve that feat was No. 193 Andrei Olhovskiy, who stunned Jim Courier at the same event in 1992.

On the other side of the net, Nadal was bidding to reach his first quarter-final at SW19 since 2011. The two-time champion entered the contest after three consecutive comeback victories, rallying from a set down to beat Martin Klizan, 2012 conqueror Lukas Rosol and Mikhail Kukushkin to reach the Round of 16.

If Nadal wanted to reach the last eight, he would have to continue that trend. Kyrgios edged a tight opening set in a tie-break, landing an ace out wide to take a one-set lead. While the Aussie wild card continued to hit winners — including a forward-facing tweener — in the second set, another Nadal comeback win appeared a real possibility after the Spaniard secured the first break of the match to snatch the second set.

But Kyrgios continued to trust his game in the important moments, edging another tie-break with a huge cross-court forehand return to move one set from victory. Early in the fourth set, the Aussie broke Nadal’s serve for the first time with another powerful forehand and held his advantage to complete a memorable 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory after two hours and 58 minutes. The 19-year-old quickly turned to his box in celebration, after reaching his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final on his Wimbledon debut.

“You’ve got to believe you can win the match from the start… I didn’t know what to do when I won,” said Kyrgios. “I just turned to everyone who has been supporting me my whole life. I love every single one of them. They get me over the line.”

The 6’4” right-hander carried his momentum through to the quarter-finals, taking the opening set against World No. 9 Milos Raonic. From there, the Canadian recovered well to take the next three sets and end Kyrgios’ dream debut at the All England Club.

Last year, Nadal gained his revenge against Kyrgios in the second round at Wimbledon. Across three hours and four minutes, the Spaniard earned a four-set win of his own en route to his second straight semi-final at SW19.

Editor’s Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Wimbledon would now be underway. During the next two weeks ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the grass-court Grand Slam. This story was originally published on 29 June 2014.

One visitor to the All England Club has occupied seat number seven in the players’ box for every match on Centre Court at The Championships over the past 16 years.

He isn’t a player, a coach or a friend of a competitor, yet he is warmly greeted by family members of the great champions upon entering the sport’s cathedral.

You may have seen David Spearing sat behind the likes of Mirka Federer, Toni Nadal and Kim Sears [Andy Murray’s girlfriend] on television. Though his name may not be familiar to many fans, he wears a distinctive black panama hat.

Ah… now you know him. He has, arguably, the best job in tennis.

His cult status developed in 2003 as a result of a popular Irish broadcaster, Terry Wogan, giving him the nickname General Custer, Colonel ‘KFC’ Sanders or the British gangster Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie.

“Terry Wogan asked his radio listeners, ‘Who is the man in the black hat on Centre Court every day?’” Spearing told ATPWorldTour.com. “Within minutes, Terry had his answer and subsequently proposed a few nicknames… and, somehow, a fan base grew out of it.”

For the past 40 years, Spearing has dusted off his suitcase at his home in Abu Dhabi – his base since 1968, where he has been a construction-industry leader – and undertaken an annual pilgrimage to the All England Club, where he stays locally with friends.

Spearing first became one of 35 Honorary Stewards at Wimbledon in 1974. “A friend invited me to try out as a steward and I was told to shadow a lovely old man called Norman, for the fortnight.

“The buttery never opened until 11:30 a.m., so the stewards did not arrive until then. We’ve gotten a lot busier as so much has changed over the past 40 years.

“Eventually, I found my way onto Centre Court.” Today, Spearing is one of 200 Honorary Stewards at Wimbledon.

Mirka FedererAt first the Cambridge University-educated Spearing did not wear a hat. “When the sun reflected up off the tin roof on the old scoreboard, it was sometimes difficult to watch the matches from the players’ box,” he admitted. “So I needed a hat. I thought it would be a bit of fun.”

Initially, he experimented by wearing a wide-brimmed hat. But shortly prior to his third year in the players’ box, Spearing asked one of his friends at The Club in Abu Dhabi – where he has been a former chairman and long-time member – to look out for a hat.

“I thought it would take a few days, but my friend said he had a spare hat in the pro shop. It was black, not cream. I said, ‘I can’t wear black!’ He joked about me having to pay for it. I packed it in my bag and with the help of Terry Wogan, I became known to tennis fans.”

As the longest-serving Honorary Steward, the 78-year-old expat can be found on Church Road from 7:30 a.m. each morning making announcements to ‘The Queue’ or directing thousands of ticket holders to locate their entrance gate, or, as a distributor of wrist bands to the members’ enclosure.

“Many fans walk past and glance at me,” said Spearing. “A few seconds later, they return and ask me to pose for a photograph.

“Once I am finished outside the grounds, I have time for a quick cup of coffee and then I have to be on the main concourse at 10:30, prior to heading to the players’ area, lunch and then onto Centre Court for the first match of the day.

“Now Centre Court has a roof, it can make for long days. But I love my role.”

Today, each competitor is permitted 19 guest spaces in the players’ box. “Kim [Andy’s girlfriend] often arrives early to get her spot in the players’ box,” he said.

Over the years, Spearing has got to know the wives, girlfriends and coaches of many of the sport’s serial titlists at The Championships. “I always liked the artistry of John McEnroe, but not his tantrums.

“When Barbra Streisand was the girlfriend of Andre Agassi, she came one year in 1993. I have always been a big fan of her as a singer and an actress, and I admit to being star-struck that day. I wanted Agassi to win all his matches so that she would keep coming back.

“Once, when Agassi was sat in the players’ box, I asked him why everyone called Jim Courier, ‘The Rock’? He turned round, looked me directly in the eyes and said, ‘Because he is so consistent and always delivers.’ I always liked him as he grew older.

“When Pete Sampras was engaged to his future wife, Bridgette Wilson, I could not take my eyes off her big diamond engagement ring.

“Roger Federer’s parents are wonderful and Andy Murray’s team is always kind. Of course, the more each player competes on Centre Court, the more you get to know who they are with.”

In the 2013 New Year’s Honours Lists, Spearing became a ‘Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ for his services to British business and the British community in Abu Dhabi.

He insists that he will keep making his journey from the United Arab Emirates to the All England Club for years to come.

Boris Becker won Wimbledon in 1985 aged 17, becoming the youngest champion in tournament history. That record still stands today. But the teenager’s breakthrough nearly came to a screeching halt well before he lifted the trophy.

Entering the tournament, World No. 20 Becker was unseeded, as there were only 16 seeds until 2001. He was a hot prospect, though. The German teen arrived at the All England Club fresh off his first ATP Tour title run at Queen’s Club, where he upset Pat Cash and Johan Kriek among others. Could Becker translate that success to the grandest grass-court stage in tennis? For a time, it looked like the answer was “no”.

“I got a lot of luck on the way to the final,” Becker told ATPTour.com.

The German was on the brink of elimination in the third round against seventh seed Joakim Nystrom, who had recently made the Roland Garros quarter-finals. It was the 22-year-old’s fourth appearance in The Championships, and he rallied from two sets to one down against Becker to serve for the match at 5-4 in the fifth.

Becker crushed a cross-court backhand return winner to get back on serve, but Nystrom again earned a chance to serve out the match at 6-5. Becker just missed in the first point of the game, but he showed great resiliency to win the next four points to again stave off elimination.

Eventually, the teen battled past Nystrom, clinching a 3-6, 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7 victory with a backhand chip-and-charge approach on match point. Becker was into his first Wimbledon quarter-final in only his second appearance.

“There are a lot of good guys who could win this tournament,” Becker said. “Maybe I am one of them. I don’t know.”

“He won’t win Wimbledon, not this year,” Nystrom said.

Becker survived a dance with defeat in the fourth round, overcoming a fourth-set ankle injury — which almost forced him to retire — to squeak past Tim Mayotte in five sets. The German then went on to beat Henri Leconte, Anders Jarryd and Kevin Curren in four sets apiece for a career-launching victory.

The dream run could have come to an end more than a week earlier in the third round. But Becker found a way to survive against Nystrom, never looking back.

“At Wimbledon, I played the best grass court match of my life,” Nystrom said. “He still beat me.”

Wimbledon was not only where he broke through, but where he enjoyed the most success. The German reached the final in six of seven years from 1985-1991, and also in 1995, winning the title three times. Perhaps most famously, Becker played Stefan Edberg in three consecutive finals at The Championships from 1988-1990, triumphing in 1989.

Andy Murray is a Wimbledon legend. In 2013, he became the first British man to win The Championships since Fred Perry in 1936. But Murray’s first breakthrough at the The All England Club came in a 2006 match he didn’t expect to win.

Murray, who was competing in the main draw without a wild card for the first time, advanced to the third round on the hallowed grass. But he admitted his next opponent, third seed Andy Roddick, would be difficult to beat.

“He’s definitely a big favourite to win,” Murray said.

The Brit defeated Roddick earlier that year in the San Jose semi-finals. But this was different, competing against a former Grand Slam champion on one of tennis’ grandest stages in best-of-five sets. Roddick had reached back-to-back finals at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005.

“I think grass is definitely his best surface,” Murray said. “I don’t know if there is a good time to play Roddick on grass.”

From 2003-05, Roddick didn’t lose a set in the third round at The Championships. But Murray put on a stunning counter-punching display to oust the favourite 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4.

“I think that’s got to be my best win,” Murray told the BBC after the match. “Beating a two-time Wimbledon finalist, former world number one and Grand Slam champion on Centre Court in three sets.

“I feel bad for Andy, he’s such a great guy and a really good champion, and it’s a shame I had to win against him.”

Murray earned a spot in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time, saving 11 of the 12 break points he faced in a two-hour, 31-minute victory.

“I don’t know if he had a lot to lose,” Roddick said. “The way I see it, it was pretty much all gravy for him.”

The World No. 44 had an answer for everything Roddick threw at him except for the American’s 21 aces. If the big-serving righty didn’t paint the lines, Murray managed to push returns deep into the court. Roddick punished forehand after forehand to force the teen well behind the baseline, but he struggled to put the home favourite away.

“Are my spirits dampened? Hell yeah, they’re dampened. I just lost [in the] third round of Wimbledon after making it to the semis, final [and] final the past three years,” Roddick said. “I’m very disappointed. I’m not happy. I’m mad. Disappointed, whatever other adjectives you want to throw out there.”

Murray lost in the next round against Marcos Baghdatis, but he proved his ability to compete against top opposition on a big stage. He claimed his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 US Open, before emerging victorious at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016.