Petar Popovic, the Serbian coach of Corentin Moutet, did not appreciate the attitude of the court Philippe-Chatrier, whom he accused of having let go of his protégé after winning the first round against Jannik Sinner, Sunday in Round of 16 of the Roland-Garros tournament. The Frenchman ended up losing in four sets (6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 1-6).
On cloud nine during the first set, Corentin Moutet played like a dream, deploying his entire range of shots against Jannik Sinner, the strong man of the first part of the season and winner of the Australian Open. Obtaining a new break at the start of the second set even gave a glimpse of the possibility of maintaining this dream even longer, and why not of succeeding in making the Italian doubt, impassive in the face of the magic which seemed to operate between a Corentin Moutet inspired and a short Philippe-Chatrier who only asked to come out of his usual torpor to be transported to heights of emotion.
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“If it’s played on Lenglen, it’s another match”
Alas, the landing was as brutal as the takeoff had been sensational. Without letting himself be overcome by frustration, with his head held high and his ideas clear, Sinner stored up the information and understood the Frenchman’s game with all its variations, which he ended up coldly annihilating. The Italian then found rhythm and accuracy in his strikes, which became lethal again. The Frenchman’s hopes were over and the boiling atmosphere that reigned at the start of the match at the center was over. The “Moutet, Moutet, Moutet” chanted at the start of the match became more discreet. A regret for those around the Frenchman.
At the end of the match, the Serbian Petar Popovic, coach of Corentin Moutet, regretted that the thousands of spectators at the Philippe-Chatrier court had not pushed his protégé more, who often used his slightly crazy atmosphere to sublimate oneself. “He started very well with a set and a break but I was disappointed for him that the public did not push more, he lamented. His first three matches, it was madness in the stands. There , he gave the audience every reason to get fired up and it didn’t get fired up like at the theater just to take photos and be there. I think if it’s played on the Lenglen, it’s another match. (…) Sinner switched at one point. He’s been the best player in the world for a few months, don’t lie. But if he had played in a different atmosphere, maybe. -maybe he wouldn’t have relaxed to that extent.”
“Obviously disappointed” at not having managed to maintain his level of play in the first set, Corentin Moutet did not make the Chatrier audience responsible for his relaxation, even if he recognized that “it was more balanced in the encouragement” than in previous rounds. “It’s a legendary court, the biggest court of the tournament, it was incredible to be able to play there. It was different from the other matches, Sinner is second in the world so it was more balanced in the encouragement, it was a different experience. I went on the pitch to do my match I think I could have done even better but I can’t make history again, I arrived on the pitch believing in myself, I knew I could. to win I had a set and a break but I couldn’t do better, that will be for next time. In any case, it was a pleasure to be able to play on these big courts at Roland Garros.