Moutet, after his first victory against a top 10 player: "I have fought a lot with myself"

Fernando Murciego | 11 May 2025 | 18.26

Corentin Moutet achieves his first victory against a top 10 player. Source: Getty

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They say that to reach where you have never been, you must do what you have never done. This philosophy has been taken literally by Corentin Moutet, who had never defeated a top 10 player in an individual match in his career until finally achieving it this Sunday, May 11th at the Masters 1000 in Rome. What was the toll to pay? To stop the clock at 3 hours 44 minutes, turning a minibreak deficit in the tiebreak of the third set against Holger Rune. A small miracle considering how much the Frenchman usually struggles in these situations, but there is no evil that lasts a hundred years. Not for anyone, not even for Moutet.

“It was a very complicated match, for multiple reasons. There was a great opponent in front of me, but even at the end, when I was facing a minibreak deficit, I kept fighting. I always tried to find a way, but today was tremendously difficult. It was my first time on this court, which is beautiful; I always looked at it every time I went to practice these days. Today suddenly I found myself playing on it, with the whole crowd supporting us… honestly, right now I don't even know what to say,” expressed the current world #83 into the Tennis TV microphone.

After defeating Rinky Hijikata in the first round (3-6, 6-1, 7-5), and Ugo Humbert in the second round (6-3, 4-0 Ret), surely not many expected to see Corentin take another step at the Foro Italico against Holger Rune, who despite arriving somewhat affected by his poor performance after winning the Godó, still started as the clear favorite. Moreover, the history showed a 0-12 record against the Frenchman whenever he played against top 10 opponents. Would the number 13 bring joy to the 26-year-old veteran? The answer is yes, although he had to grit his teeth like never before and win the race in the final meters.

“I fought a lot with myself, but I am happy, very happy. I kept telling myself inside that I had to keep going, that I had to fight, that it was normal to be tired after almost four hours. This sport is never easy, especially when you find yourself in situations like this, but I had to make it easy for myself and give myself the opportunity to keep trying again and again, until the end. I had to do everything in my power so that, in case of losing in the end, I wouldn’t have anything to reproach myself for. I gave it my all, I respected my opponent, and I respected myself. I couldn't be more satisfied,” he concluded in his statements.

ANOTHER TOP 10 AWAITS HIM

I imagine everything looks different after one of the best victories of his career. It is much easier to beat a top 10 player when you have just done the same in the previous round. It behooves Moutet to maintain this mindset, as after eliminating Holger Rune, another tough opponent awaits him on the path: Jack Draper. The Briton is navigating smoothly in a memorable season, even being a protagonist on the big stages, so he will clearly start as the favorite for that encounter. Will the music play for Corentin again? Suddenly, I feel the need for that match to arrive as soon as possible.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Moutet, tras su primera victoria ante un top10: “He luchado mucho conmigo mismo”