Perricard still struggles to rise and reveals that he suffers from depression: "It will take a long time"

Andrés Tomás Rico - 19 Oct 2026 | 19:20
ATP Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

The French player, who reached number 29 in the world, is currently in the 145th position after having collected only 8 victories on the ATP circuit this year.

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Perricard still can't get back on track and reveals that he suffers from depression: “It will take a long time.” Photo: Getty Images

Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard is not in his best moment. The French tennis player, who a year ago was a potential promise due to his explosive serve, has entered a negative spiral of play, results, and confidence that has taken him out of the Top 100 (currently 145th) and has led him to confess that he is going through a period of depression.

The young Frenchman, 23 years old, was destined to be part of the tennis middle class, thanks to his prodigious serve; in fact, he holds the Wimbledon record with a serve at 246 km/h. Furthermore, in 2024 he won two titles: the ATP 500 in Basel and the ATP 250 in Lyon. He was destined for great things, but the expectations overwhelmed him.

The fact that he relies so much on his serve makes him very vulnerable in the rest of his shots. His one-handed backhand is not clean and is very erratic, while his forehand is a Russian roulette: either a winning shot or an unforced error. There is no middle ground, compounded by the difficulty of processing his spontaneous and fleeting success in such a demanding and tight tennis calendar that waits for no one.

He started 2026 with two great results that invited optimism, with two consecutive quarter-finals at the ATP 250 in Auckland and Brisbane, but as the months went by he was unable to add more than two consecutive victories in an ATP tournament until the grass swing, where he reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 in Stuttgart. He then passed the qualifying round of the ATP at Queen's, but since then he has been unable to secure any victories.

This year he has 8 wins and 18 losses on the ATP circuit, even taking a set from Novak Djokovic in the first round of Roland Garros, but the problem goes beyond just tennis. After falling in the US Open, he parted ways with his coach and is currently traveling alone; his latest result was a defeat in the qualifying round of the ATP 250 in Brussels.

Perricard warns that his depression "is going to take a lot of time"

“Nothing is going well for me except my serve. These last few months have undoubtedly been difficult. There have been many negative things, both on and off the court. I am trying to rebuild myself little by little, but it is not easy. It is going to take a lot of time,” he confessed in an interview with L’Equipe.

The player himself diagnosed his situation: “It's a small depression, exhaustion. My friends have been there for me and helped me because not all the ideas I had were very good. They helped me a lot during a time when things were not going well at all.”

Far from delivering positive or self-help messages, Perricard showed the harshest reality: “It is a difficult slope, very steep, and for now it is long, but I have to persevere. It is not easy. I need to change my mindset. It is difficult, very difficult. I believe things will turn out well, but it will take time,” he concluded, one of the greatest promises that French tennis has produced and who is now going through his lowest hours.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Perricard sigue sin levantar cabeza y desvela que sufre depresión: "Va a llevar mucho tiempo"