ATP Montpellier: Hugo Humbert injured, Fokina comforts him with affection
by LORENZO CIOTTI
What a fear for Hugo Humbert. The Frenchman, who returned in the Top 100 after a decidedly subdued 2022, was returning to excellent form, but bad luck struck him again. On the occasion of the first round match of the ATP 250 tournament in Montpellier, against the Spaniard Alejando Davidovich Fokina, the 24-year-old French tennis player accidentally placed his ankle badly on the hard-court, to try a miraculous recovery.
The fall that followed was disastrous. Humbert was down for several minutes and the feeling that something serious had happened was palpable. Fokina, immediately realizing the extent of the injury, ran to help him with great fair play.
Inevitably Humbert, through tears, had to give up immediately and withdrew from the tournament. The result was 1-1. After a first set literally dominated by the former champion from Halle, there was a recovery of the tennis player from Malaga, who got the better of the tie Break in the second.
ATP Montpellier: Hugo Humbert injured, Fokina comforts him with affection
Davidovich Fokina then accesses the round of 16, where he will meet the French Quentin Halys, who in the previous round got the better of his compatriot Clement Chidekh, coming from the qualifiers.
Jannik Sinner, who passed directly to the next round thanks to Marton Fucsovic's forfeit, is on the Spaniard's side of the board and could cross him in a possible semifinal. Fokina, a friend of the French tennis player since they were children, appeared visibly moved in the usual post-match interview, rhe told the moments in which he saw him fall to the ground.
"Sometimes it's more important than winning or losing," writes Tennis TV on the beautiful gesture of Davidovich Fokina, who rushed to help his friend-rival, aching on the ground.
Wishing you well after this @HumbertUgo ☹️
Humbert was forced to retire at one-set all at @OpenSuddeFrance pic.twitter.com/bqolg8JTEy — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 8, 2023
About the next event, it came a news about Novak Djokovic.Sometimes it's bigger than winning or losing...@HumbertUgo gets support from @alexdavidovich1 after a nasty fall 💙 pic.twitter.com/G3htDBt6Dr — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 8, 2023
The Serbian champion, winner of the Australian Open 2023, will cannot play the upcoming ATP Masters 1000s at Indian Wells and Miami, but he will be able to to take part at the US Open, the last Grand Slma event of the season, after last year ban.