Giovanni Mpetshi Open Up On Who He Prefers Between Roger Federer And Rafael Nadar
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has chosen Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer. The Frenchman received public recognition after defeating Holger Run in the semi-finals of Basel Indoor 2024 in Switzerland to reach his first ATP 500-level final.
Mpetshi Perricard, 21, has had an outstanding season on the ATP Tour so far. The Frenchman started the year outside the top 200 but climbed to No. 37 in the ATP rankings with a 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Rooney in the semifinals at Indoor Basel, Switzerland. The 21-year-old has made a name for himself through his incredible performances.
The Frenchman failed to win a breakpoint against Rooney and won 87% of his first serve points. Remarkably, Mpetshi Perricard hit 87 aces in four wins at Swiss Indoors Basel 2024 and is yet to lose a service game.
In a post-match interview, Giovanni Mpetschi asked Perricard if he was inspired by former world No. 1 Roger Federer, who won the Swiss tournament 10 times in Basel. The Frenchman answered in the affirmative but said he preferred the Spaniard to the Swiss player, recalling Federer’s last win in 2015 over arch-rival Rafael Nadal. He said:
“Yeah, yeah (I drew inspiration from Roger Federer winning the Swiss Indoors Basel a record ten times), but I was sad when Rafa lost against him in 2015. So I mean, yeah, I like Roger but I do prefer Rafa,” Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard said.
“Both players are great, amazing. And yeah, they inspired me when I was young and I just try to be as good as them,” Mpetshi Perricard added.
The Frenchman will face Ben Shelton in the final of the 2024 Indoor Tour in Basel, Switzerland. In the second semi-final, Shelton defeated Perricard’s compatriot Arthur Fils.
Meanwhile, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is not as highly rated as Rafael Nadal, but Roger Federer still holds the ATP record for the Basel Open in Switzerland. Roger Federer’s first three Swiss Indoor Basel Tournament finals (2006-2008) were in his hands. However, on the verge of having his fourth winning streak (2009), he was stopped by Novak Djokovic.
The former world number one won the title again in 2010 and 2011 but lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the finals in 2012 and 2013. The Swiss won the competition again in 2014 and 2015 and won his eighth, ninth, and 10th Swiss indoor titles since Basel in 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively.
Overall, the former world number one and 20-time major champion has reached the Swiss Indoor Basel final at least 15 times. This remains the Open Era ATP Tour record for most finals reached by a player in a single tournament.
