“Exhibition” is a dirty word at Hopman Cup as players prove thoroughly engaged

“We’ll try to win all the games and then we’ll see.” While this statement may be banality personified, these words from David Goffin – representing Belgium with Elise Mertens – ring very true when it comes to this year’s edition of the Hopman Cup.

These meetings on the Côte d’Azur might ostensibly count for little, but these players have no intention of throwing them away. They are representing their country, plus they don’t want to disappoint their partner: “Elise and I get on well, and we want to do well when we’re together,” said Goffin. Accustomed to playing mixed doubles in team competitions, the two compatriots did rather well against the Spain pairing of Carlos Alcaraz and Rebeka Masarova.

The attitude of some of the players, who were particularly demonstrative, almost came as a surprise. The meeting between Alizé Cornet and Céline Naef was the scene of scenes that WTA tournaments are familiar with. The Frenchwoman sharply criticised some of the choices made by Alison Hughes, the match umpire. Her remonstrances even lasted more than five minutes over an alleged service fault by her opponent.

On the other hand, the 18-year-old Swiss, who recently won her first match on the WTA Tour against Venus Williams, was on the verge of tears of anger after some lost points. The Frenchwoman, who came out on top in the super tiebreak, threw herself onto the court after her winning match point, just as she did in Gstaad in 2018 after her sixth Tour title.

It’s up to you to judge whether she was exaggerating, but for Cornet, who hadn’t played for two weeks, this victory is far from routine. “It’s unbelievable, she’s 18 and I’m 33, so I think I’ve still got it under my belt,” she enthused to tournament announcer Marc Maury.

Her compatriot Richard Gasquet was annoyed by the noise of the music emanating from Centre Court at the end of his super tiebreak loss to Leandro Riedi, but also about his level of play, particularly on serve. Alcaraz, who is not one to get annoyed on a tennis court, showed signs of this in the first set against David Goffin (which he lost 6-4 before reversing the trend).

Learn from the experience

While the sporting stakes are virtually nil (no ATP or WTA points are awarded at the end of the tournament), some players take advantage of the opportunity to build their season. Leandro Riedi, playing for Switzerland, won all four of his matches (singles and doubles) and earned himself the first top 10 scalp of his career, beating Holger Rune before eliminating France. Don’t talk to him about “an exhibition”.

“The experience is great. I played against some great players, like Rune and Gasquet. It was also my first time in mixed doubles. Everything that happens off the court too, with the media, it’s a great learning experience for me. I’ve learnt a lot from this Hopman Cup,” explained the 21-year-old at the press conference.

Facing a world No 1 is also a good indicator of current form, a way of gauging a player’s level. Goffin tested himself against Alcaraz, whom he beat on indoor hard court in October 2022: “It’s good to have to play matches like that, with good intensity. These are matches to get the rest of the season off to a good start,” he said with satisfaction after a narrow super tiebreak loss.

Added drama

Since the start of the competition, the temperature has fluctuated between 35 and 40 degrees. Although the schedule allows the players to start their matches a little later (3pm on Court 1, 4pm on Centre Court, 8pm and 9pm for the mixed doubles), they have particularly suffered from the heat.

Borna Coric will long remember the conditions in Nice: “It was really tough, to be honest. It was one of the worst conditions I’ve had to play in in my career. I’d never really had to deal with anything like it, maybe once in Zhuhai (China),” admitted the Croatian, who won one of his two singles matches (victory over Goffin, defeat to Alcaraz).

Alizé Cornet, who is used to playing in Australia and the United States, also subject to very high temperatures, had a hard time coping with the humidity, even in a city she knows like the back of her hand: “It’s mainly the humidity. Even in the mixed doubles, Richard (Gasquet) was changing his grips every time he switched sides. We were dripping and that’s what exhausts the body. I was completely dehydrated by the end of my match (her first singles against Clara Tauson).”

If the competition lacked a little spice, the presence of Spain’s world No 1 added to it. The public, too, immediately felt involved.

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