Boris Becker has dismissed claims that rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will one day be recognised as the “best server ever”.
Mpetshi Perricard, who won his first two ATP Tour titles in 2024, has again been making waves at the Brisbane International this week.
The 21-year-old defeated a returning Nick Kyrgios 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3) in the opening round before picking up an impressive 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over fourth seed Frances Tiafoe on Thursday.
The Frenchman will next face fellow unseeded quarter-finalist Jakub Mensik, before a potential semi-final against top seed and title favourite Novak Djokovic.
Mpetshi Perricard hit a whopping 36 aces against Kyrgios in round one – a contest that saw no breaks of serve – and famously did not drop serve once on his way to winning the Swiss Indoors title last October.
On Twitter/X, The Big Three – a tribute account to Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal – claimed that the world No 31 had the “best serve” he had ever seen.
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They wrote: “Perricard has the best serve I’ve ever seen. From the mechanics, to the ease of power, to the effectiveness.
“I think he’ll end up being regarded as the best server ever.”
Among the dominant servers of his generation, Becker – a former world No 1 and a six-time Grand Slam singles champion – was quick to pour cold water on the claim.
The German quote tweeted a simple, yet pertinent, reply: “Are you really sure about that ?!?”
Tennis icon Becker later reshared a post in agreement with the idea that Pete Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam champion and former No 1, should be recognised as the best server in tennis history.
Last season, the ATP Tour’s ‘Serve Index’ ranked Mpetshi Perricard as the second-best server on the ATP Tour, only behind world No 2 Alexander Zverev.
The Frenchman had an overall rating of 299.5, compared to Zverev’s 300.3.
The Serve Index factors in stats such as first serve percentage, first and second serve points won, aces, and service games won.
Mpetshi Perricard won 88.8% of his service games at ATP level in 2024 – the fifth-highest on the tour – and hit an average of 19 aces per match, putting him well clear at No 1.
After starting 2024 as the world No 205, the Frenchman reached a career-high of 30th towards the end of the season and is set to be seeded at a major for the first time at the Australian Open.
Alongside his ATP 500-level triumph at the Swiss Indoors in October, Perricard won the first title of his career in Lyon and reached the second week of Wimbledon as a lucky loser.
