Nicolas Mahut bows out with grace and grit
On the brink of retirement, Nicolas Mahut savors a career etched in epic endurance and doubles triumphs, where one endless Wimbledon set gave way to Grand Slam glory and a heartfelt Paris farewell.
In the hushed intensity of La Défense Arena, Nicolas Mahut lobs his last volley, closing a 25-year chapter on the ATP Tour with the poise of a serve that lands just inside the line. The air carries the faint echo of rallies past, from grass-court marathons to indoor hard-court poaches, each point a thread in a tapestry of perseverance. As the crowd’s applause swells, his journey—from boyhood dreams to world No. 1 in doubles—resonates like the thud of a well-struck return, reminding everyone that true legacy blooms in the quiet spaces between victories.
Enduring the epic Wimbledon shadow
Fifteen years after the 2010 Wimbledon clash, Mahut still fields the familiar question with a knowing smile: did he top John Isner? That record-breaking encounter, unfolding over three days and totaling 11 hours and five minutes, ended in a 70-68 fifth-set defeat, a grueling test of serves booming crosscourt and returns sliced with underspin to counter the low-bouncing grass. The psychological weight once pressed heavy, casting him as the handsome loser in tennis lore, but perspective has transformed it into a cherished badge.
Time eroded the initial bitterness, allowing Mahut to embrace the match’s suspended drama as fuel for growth. He channeled the ordeal into a book, dissecting the mental strain of endless deuce patterns and fatigue-fueled adjustments, like deepening his stance to handle Isner’s power. This evolution turned a painful memory into one of strength, paving the way for triumphs that redefined his path.
“It will stay somehow in both categories and that’s not a bad thing. It was both a painful moment and a moment that felt quite suspended,” said Mahut. “It is one of my biggest memories, inevitably. At the start, it did bother me a lot because I was tired of being the handsome loser.”
“I now enjoy talking about that match because it was a crazy experience,” he added later. “It brought me a lot as a player and as a man. But I can be associated with that match and I can talk about it easily because I know that after that… I managed to win.” The epic’s shadow lingers, yet it now illuminates his resilience, much like a down-the-line winner slicing through doubt.
Photo: John Isner defeats Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in history.
Doubles dominance forges lasting pride
Mahut’s ascent in doubles with longtime partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert turned individual grit into shared glory, capturing 37 tour-level titles, including two Nitto ATP Finals crowns and five Grand Slams. Their one–two combinations—precise serves setting up aggressive poaches—dominated faster surfaces, with Herbert’s lefty spin creating awkward crosscourt angles for returns. Reaching No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings crowned their partnership, one of only eight to complete the career Grand Slam in men’s doubles, blending tactical synergy with unshakeable trust.
In singles, he notched 181 tour-level wins and four titles on grass at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2013, 2015, and 2016, plus Newport in 2013, where his attacking serve-volley game thrived on quick bounces, often finishing with inside-in forehands. This prowess seamlessly fueled doubles success, where doubts and errors enriched the journey, turning potential setbacks into deeper bonds. The 2016 Wimbledon doubles victory recast the venue as a site of eternal pride; strolling its grounds this year with his son, seeing their names inscribed, stirred a quiet fulfillment.
“That’s a source of pride. I perhaps wasn’t strong enough to leave my mark on the tennis world through my record, but I found a way to be associated, for eternity, with Wimbledon, which for me is the greatest [tournament] in the world,” he reflected humbly. Their 2021 Nitto ATP Finals triumph exemplified this, with baseline depth feeding net rushes that dismantled foes. Beyond trophies, the richness lies in the perseverance forged along the way.
“Being able to win Grand Slams was for me one of the best memories,” Mahut shared. “That’s what I will remember. Beyond the titles, the trophies that I may have, it’s also ultimately everything that happened in order for me to achieve those trophies and victories.” “It’s all the doubts, the questioning, the mistakes I made. That is ultimately what makes a career rich, and mine is very rich in that regard.” These reflections underscore how tactical evolutions—from slice serves disrupting rhythms to volleys pouncing on short balls—built an enduring legacy.
Photo: Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2021.
Paris farewell fulfills lifelong dreams
The Paris Masters provided the poignant stage for Mahut’s exit, pairing him with good friend Grigor Dimitrov in a final doubles match—a 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 super-tiebreak loss to Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin on Tuesday. On the indoor hard courts, where true pace rewarded quick reflexes, Mahut handled net duties with veteran slice volleys, adapting to Dimitrov’s baseline power through crosscourt setups and down-the-line finishes. The home crowd’s energy pulsed through every point, turning the defeat into a celebration of camaraderie built over years of rivalry.
“We always wanted to do a few double sessions together throughout the last years, but I was honestly never really able to commit,” Dimitrov explained. “It was the right time. It was the last tournament for him and it made sense. I have a very sentimental relationship with him.” “For so many years, we played against each other. We competed more than once on such a big occasion. So it’s safe to say that it’s a good ending for him.” This pairing evoked the emotional release of closure, the arena’s lights highlighting a career’s graceful arc.
Earlier, Lacoste’s dawn surprise on the empty center court at 6 a.m. added layers of nostalgia, with around 60 polo shirts from their partnership displayed on mannequins, each evoking flashes of victories—from grass-stained Wimbledon serves to hard-court poaches. Arriving unaware, Mahut relived the grind behind those moments, the fabric ties to tactical battles won through underspin lobs and inside-out adjustments. The gesture transformed retrospective glances into forward momentum, grounding his farewell in tangible memories.
“On Saturday, Lacoste surprised me. I wasn’t aware. I came in the morning, and on the centre court at 6 a.m. there was no one there,” he recounted. “When I arrived, they had set them [the polos] up on mannequins around the court. Already the fact of experiencing this, to see again some polos that I wore during certain victories, reminded me of memories.” Such touches amplified the week’s sentiment, bridging past efforts to present peace.
Mahut’s passion ignited in 1991, a nine-year-old mesmerized by France’s Davis Cup win in Lyon, dreaming of holding that trophy without grasping the sacrifices ahead. That vision guided his every step, culminating in 2017 when he secured all three doubles rubbers for France’s title run, finally clutching the cup at home after decades of pursuit. The indoor and outdoor setups demanded versatile tactics—slice serves neutralizing power, volleys sealing points swiftly—mirroring the adaptability that defined his career.
“It has guided my entire career,” he said of the Davis Cup. “That’s why I wanted to play, because it made me dream. I wanted to be a tennis player after watching the Davis Cup in 1991.” “However, when I saw them win in ‘91 in Lyon, I thought, ‘This is what I want to do, this is what I want to win’, without understanding the effort I would have to put in to make it happen. And in the end, I ended up having the cup at home.” From that spark to doubles peaks, his path circles back in Paris, inspiring the next wave to chase dreams with the same heart.
