Météo-France forecasters were categorical. This Wednesday was to be the best day of the week at Roland Garros. On the very intimate court no 5, Toulouse’s Hugo Gaston blew an autan wind to clear a few clouds above the head of a moribund French tennis player.
Beneficiary of an invitation, the 239e world player eliminated in the second round the Japanese Yoshito Nishioka (52e) in four sets (6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2) and offers himself a round of 16 against Stanislas Wawrinka, winner of the tournament in 2015.
Obviously, there is something to stir your young man of 20 years. Rather of the type to internalize, Hugo Gaston released the floodgates after a last winning backhand passing. Under the towel, we can guess big tears of happiness for the only French (for now) able to chain two victories since the start of the fortnight. Barely time to savor and Gaston left for a quick shower and lunch before his doubles match.
A power deficit that invites creativity
For his victim of the day, Hugo Gaston was until this morning only one name among a hundred others in a table. After less than an hour of match, the Japanese understood what a strange player he had to deal with.
If the boy clashes, it’s not just because he never bounces his ball before serving. An anomaly on a circuit. “It’s a ritual, he explained to L’Equipe in 2018. I have never done it. I do not like it. “ A stone in the garden of Novak Djokovic and his twenty frantic rebounds.
😍🇫🇷 YES! What passing by Hugo Gaston to conclude the match against Nishioka! The Frenchman delivered a service … https://t.co/AtX5W6TSrY
On the other hand, Gaston likes to cook his opponents. Almost an obligation when you are 1.73 m tall and the power deficit invites you to be creative at all times. On the menu of the day, the chef proposed this Wednesday: a pinch of cut forehands, rounded balls like a Swedish tennis player from the 1980s and a large dose of cushioning to spice it up.
In this sector, Gaston has a very generous left hand. Too much for Nishioka’s taste, bloated from running forward. “ It’s unbelievable », He yells towards his trainer after another dead leaf from Gaston.
On the courts from the age of 3
The hundred spectators, journalists and accredited persons present (not far from being a record in this almost confined edition) discovered that a Japanese passport is not necessarily a pledge of stoicism. Nishioka’s late racket, shattered at the loss of the second set, can also confirm.
Gaston, he never came out of his bubble, despite a third round lost on two redacted smashes. A question of temperament. ” Hugo is not naturally anxious. He saw the situation in a relaxed way with a little humor and offset », Assured 20 minutes his trainer Marc Barbier before the tournament.
Youth Olympic champion in 2018, Gaston is a child of the ball. In the land of rugby, he started on the courts at the age of 3. Normal when one has for father the president of the tennis club of his municipality (Fonsorbes, south-west of Toulouse). The Haut-Garonnais then followed the federal course by joining the hopes of Poitiers as a teenager.
If his modest size remains a limiting factor (especially in service), the left-hander can always take the example of another “small”, Diego Schwartzman. From the height of his 1.73 m, the Argentinian beat Rafael Nadal in Rome this year and proves that it is not only the height which is important. As long as we have a good hand and a few tricks in our tennis bag.
