Gilles Simon knows exactly how Harold Mayot will feel when he steps onto the court against him in the first round. Fifteen years ago, the man from Nice experienced the memorable moment of playing his very first match on the circuit. And it was also in Marseille. Since then, Gillou has built up a busy career, during which he has played in 22 finals and won 14 titles, including two at the Open 13 Provence, in 2007 and 2015. Harold Mayot, on the other hand, has landed in the main draw thanks to a wild card awarded to him following his recent performance in Australia: last month, the Messinian won the Australian Open for juniors, thereby becoming the world's number one player in his category. At just 18 years old, Mayot, after several finals on the ITF circuit in 2019, is therefore moving up a gear in Marseille with one objective: to enjoy. "I'm going to make the most of it and try to enjoy myself on the court," he confided. When I saw the draw coming out, it was so funny to see my name next to all these players. And it's amazing to be in a tournament where so many big names have come through."
The 18-year-old, who turned 18 just after returning from Melbourne, followed the draw closely: "I have stars in my eyes to be able to play against Gilles. I'll try to play my game and whatever happens will happen.
But beware, Gilles Simon does not intend to cut short his Marseille adventure. The former world number 6 is still on a quarter-final run in 2019 and wants to add to the list of his many memorable moments in Marseille.
Khachanov and Tsitsipas make their debut
Another Frenchman is also in the running. At noon, in the opening round of this second day, Antoine Hoang is up against Hubert Hurkacz from Poland. Last year, for his first participation, Hoang faced a certain Gilles Simon. This time, the local of the stage hopes to pass the first round. Facing Hubert Hurkacz, seeded No. 8, the Hyères native will be facing a real challenge. One hundred places separate the two players in the rankings, with Hurkacz ranked 29th and Hoang now 129th. But at 24 years old, Lionel Zimbler's protégé is already used to making a splash, having reached the third round at Roland Garros in 2019.
The last two winners of the tournament also make their debut on the court on Tuesday. In singles, 2018 winner Karen Khachanov faces Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, who has never beaten him in three meetings.
Finally, Stefanos Tsitsipas starts his tournament with a doubles match on court one. In a smooth way, just like in 2019. With his brother Petros, Stef had lost the first match, admitting afterwards that Petros had played well while he had played at a catastrophic level. A few days later, he won the singles tournament... Bis repetita?
