Sacred gift for Enzo Couacaud… Out of qualifications for the 3rd time in a row in the Grand Slam, the Mauritian, 27 years old and 191st in the world, did not miss his chance on Wednesday in the first round against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien (6-4 , 7-5, 6-0). An authoritative victory which opens the doors, from Thursday, to a royal meeting on the Rod Laver Arena at night against the master of the place Novak Djokovic!
Not bad for the Frenchman, who has never faced a top 10 in his ten-year career and had so far won only one Grand Slam match (Roland-Garros where he was invited in 2021). The obstacle is immense for a player whose biggest success on the circuit remains a victory over Haase (then 73rd) at the Rennes Challenger in 2014. Especially since the Habs will have had twenty-four fewer rests than their prestigious rival. Tuesday, while the Serb passed between the drops of a covered Central to dismiss the Spaniard Carballes Baena, Coucaud saw the rain shift his match.
“He is a top 1. He may not be number 1 (: the Belgradois is 5th but can take back the throne in the event of a title) in the ranking but in Australia and around the world we all know that he is a bit the world number 1, blows the native of Curepipe. I’ll mostly try to focus on delivering a good game and trying to mess it up. It may only happen to me once in my life. I will try to make the most of it. It will be an extraordinary opportunity. I hope to still be competitive but it will be out of the ordinary. »
Elbow surgery twice
In addition to the size of his adversary, Couacaud will have to take on that of an arena he is not used to treading. “I know absolutely nothing about it. I am not like some players who seek to train on the big courts, he continues. It’s not something that turns me on more than that. I always said that I would play on a big court if I deserved it. So far this has not happened to me and we will find out all about it. »
A great reward for the former hope, passed by the Mouratoglou Academy and the CNE, whose trajectory was not linear. With in particular two elbow operations in 2017 and 2018 where the doctors had told him that he could no longer play tennis again. A year and a half later, however, he won the first Challenger of his career at Cassis. Beyond the fight against his own body, the young man also had to fight against prejudices about his origins.
“I was told: you’re an island boy, you get up late and you drink rum, he told L’Équipe last September when he qualified for the final draw of the US Open. On the circuit where I play, in a Challenger, I have a lot of this image of a shirker, of a guy from the islands who is a bit lazy. Except that if you look at my season, each time there is a physical match, it’s the other one who cramps… I used this prejudice a lot about my physique. “Faced with the nine-time winner of the tournament, in search of a 22nd Grand Slam, Couacaud will need it to avoid toasting.