The 38th and final time the Rolex Paris Masters, Bercy as it is known, was played at the AccorHotels Arena, in Paris’ 12th Arrondissement, it lived up to being an “Angel Number…”
But before addressing the significance of 38, it must be pointed out that before the event began “il était clair” (it was clear) everything would not be heavenly… because of the significant withdrawals. On October 26, three days before its launch, Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and tournament record holder in almost every category, withdrew without giving a reason.
An intestinal virus forced Jannik Sinner of Italy to follow the Serbian to the sidelines. The “M*A*S*H” departures continued when Flavio Cobolli, another Italian, sustained a right ankle injury. With Pablo Carreño Busta it was also a “right…” but in the Spaniard’s case it was a right shoulder problem. For Qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, also from Spain, a bad back made it impossible to compete.
The outcome was “Angel like…” for Lucky Losers – Zizou Bergs of Belgium, Arthur Cazaux of France, Miomir Kecmanović of Serbia and Christopher O’Connell of Australia – who slipped into the Rolex Paris Masters singles draw.
Halloween Treats…
Fifteen countries celebrate Halloween on October 31…including low-key activities in France and Spain.
Ugo Humbert wasn’t wearing a Superman costume, but he gained superhero status flying past Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in the third-round.
The support he received from the home crowd was passionate… The exuberance continued thanks to the “Fantastique” third-round play as six of the eight matches went three sets, and French performers were involved in three of those contests.
After escaping Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria said, “It’s tough conditions, at the end of the year it’s very tricky. Everyone wants to empty their tank completely. I would give a lot to be in the Turin Finals. I’m in a place where I am still a contender. I’m still fighting against the best players in the world, and still beating the younger guys. This gives me confidence and makes me happy.”
Unfortunately, in his next match, a quarterfinal against Karen Khachanov, he lost 6-2, 6-3 ending his chance of becoming a member of “The Turin 8…” But, with Djokovic’s “on going injury…” withdrawal, he became the Alternate.
Holger Rune of Denmark, the 2022 titlist, played through the French fervor to down Lucky Loser Cazaux, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Alexander Zverev of Germany extinguished Arthur Fils’ rabid support, scoring a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
This year’s Roland Garros, five-set finalist to Alcaraz, Zverev told AP, “I am happy I hung in there today…”
He continued, “The atmosphere here is a lot louder than at Roland Garros. The crowd is on top of you…”
Referring to the encouragement being offered, after missing a first serve in his match with Humbert, Alcaraz attempted to control the crowd saying, in English, “Guys, you’re affecting both players.”
Post-match, Humbert and Alcaraz provided contrasting perspectives…
The lefthanded Humbert offered, “There were some incredible points, I think I have just experienced one of my greatest moments on a tennis court. I don’t want it to end here.”
The ever-gracious Alcaraz said, “I have to congratulate Ugo. His performance has been really high. The way he hits the ball is unbelievable.”
This was his fourth Rolex Paris Masters appearance, yet the Roland Garros and The Championships winner seemed surprised by the conditions saying, “The stats came out that this is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour. For example, the Davis Cup indoor court was way slower.”
The remaining three set, third-round excitement included Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece defeating Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 and Alex De Minaur of Australia edging Jack Draper of Great Britain 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
Australians were participants in the only third-round matches that didn’t go “Three…” Khachanov ended Alexei Popyrin’s Paris stay 7-6, 6-4 and Jordan Thompson reached his first Masters quarterfinal silencing the enthusiastic support Adrian Mannarino received, 7-5, 7-6…setting up a meeting with Humbert, which he lost 6-2, 7-6.
Révélateur…
Two second-round matches were révélateur (revealing)… Popyrin advanced with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 victory over Daniil Medvedev, the 2020 tournament winner and ’21 finalist. According to the statistics, they committed a combined 86 unforced errors. Though he qualified for Turin, the loss brought a merciful end to a forgettable tournament year for Medvedev, a long-time Monte Carlo resident.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the 6’8” “Serving Maestro” who won the Swiss Indoor title the weekend before the Rolex Paris Masters, lost a wilting contest to Khachanov 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, but crushed 20 aces.
Ironique…
In 1986, Boris Becker of Germany won the singles at the inaugural Paris Open (as the tournament was known), the first of his three titles, downing Sergio Casal of Spain 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. The tournament ended on November 3rd nineteen days before his 19th birthday on November 22nd.
Alexander Zverev, who turned 27 on April 20th, became only the second German to win Bercy. Simply stated, “He was the final…”, dominating Humbert, 6-2, 6-2, in 75 minutes, winning 58 of the 89 points played.
The depth of his performance was significant… With the triumph, in his seventh AccorHotels Arena appearance, he moved past Sinner with 66 victories, the most on the tour for the 2024 season.
It was his seventh Masters 1000 championship and the 23rd title of his career.
More telling, the Rolex Paris Masters was his 19th tournament of the year, and he also played the four majors, along with the United and Laver Cups, as well as the Olympics. With the Paris success, he moved past Alcaraz to No. 2 in the ATP rankings. Entering Turin, he trailed only Sinner.
Following the match he said, “I knew I had to play like this to win today. Ugo is an incredible player, but here in Paris he plays even better than he usually does, and I knew that. Once the crowd gets involved, it’s going to be difficult. So, I had to take that away early, and I did, so I’m happy about that.”
Zverev added, “It was not 100 percent guaranteed that I would be back at this level after Roland Garros two years ago, when I basically broke everything possible in my ankle… So, to win this title here in Paris means the world to me…”
Humbert, who lives in Luxembourg less than an hour’s drive from Metz where he was born, admitted he had a memorable week, “I’m extremely happy to have played in this final. To have my family and team with me the whole week has been incredible. It’s for moments like this why I do this every day, why I train.”
In an entertaining doubles final, Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia defeated Lloyd Glasspool of Great Britain and Adam Pavlasek of the Czech Republic, 3-6 6-3 10-5. Glasspool and Pavlasek, a pickup team, earned a place in the draw as Alternates…by reaching the title round they were nicknamed the “Surprise Guests”.
It seems that the Rolex Paris Masters was Koolhof’s final ATP event. He will play with Mektic, with whom he has won a tour-high five titles in 2024, at the Year-End Championships in Turin then Davis Cup and call it a career.
Lacking Panache…
The atmosphere was electric whenever a Frenchman played. There was cheering, chanting, encore-like applause, as well as a colorful mix of taunting… For Khachanov, the tournament winner in 2018, more stood out as he detailed following his 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 semifinal loss to Humbert.
At the end of the contest, having been hampered by a leg injury that made it difficult to run for shots, Khachanov explained in a television interview, “(Humbert) has no idea how to behave. I always play fair, and I will congratulate him if he behaves like a normal person.
“Jumping and screaming, ‘Come on, Allez!’, on every point? You think it’s, OK? You can celebrate at the end, no problem… but celebrating when a guy is on the ground?… OK, see you next time.”
Humbert’s behavior against his hobbled opponent, who collapsed a couple of times, drew criticism which he countered by playing an “Opt Out”, claiming he was demonstrative because he was only trying to thank the crowd for its support.
On Tuesday, November 5th, two days after the match, he was more thoughtful, issuing an apology saying he didn’t mean to be disrespectful…
Still, for a 26-year-old who has been a professional for eight years and, before his Bercy loss, had won a record six ATP titles in six final appearances, the semifinal performance lacked “Panache…”
Angel Number Magic
It seems the “Angel Number” 38 brings about guidance, along with confidence, courage, and creativity. Independence, joy and optimism are also part of the package.
The final Rolex Paris Masters, played October 26-November 3 at the AccorHotels Arena, showcased these characteristics…
Attendance was a record setting 176,451. Eurosport coverage of the Humbert–Khachanov semifinal resulted in a staggering 256K viewers. The Humbert–Zverev final on France 3 averaged 1 million. There were 30,000 mobile app downloads. Product sales at the arena reached 25,000, an increase of 54%. The 1,400 tickets distributed to various charities was also noteworthy.
Next year’s Rolex Paris Masters will be staged at the Paris La Défense Arena, Europe’s largest indoor facility. The October 25–November 2 event is already being marketed as “Vibrons plus grand” (Unleash the vibe).
The Rolex Paris Masters at the AccorHotels Arena “Always Had The Vibe…”
Title photo of AccorHotels Arena by Dana Anders