Liam Broady says if he thinks he’d beat Giovani Mpetshi Perricard if he didn’t have his serve

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Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has perhaps the most devastating shot on the ATP Tour.

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who earned his first top 10 win against Taylor Fritz at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, possesses a serve unlike any other on the ATP Tour.

Mpetshi Perricard regularly records double-digit aces during matches, and seems to find serving above the 140 mph mark a remarkably uncomplicated thing to achieve.

Moreover, the Frenchman recorded the fastest serve in Wimbledon history this past summer, serving a 153 mph rocket during his first-round match against Taylor Fritz.

However, how would the Frenchman fare without his booming serve? It is an interesting question to consider, especially after his return shot was recently described as the ‘worst’ in history.

Liam Broady says whether he could beat Mpetshi Perricard if he didn’t have his serve

British star Liam Broady compared his groundstroke game to Mpetshi Perricard’s while discussing whether he’d be able to defeat the Frenchman – if his serve was an absent factor.

Speaking on Sky Sports during the 22-year-old’s victory against Fritz on Sunday, Broady said: “It’s a difficult one, because from my own perspective I would say that my ground strokes are probably the strongest aspect of my own game, so I would back myself to compete with almost anybody from the back.

“Like you said [Jonathan Overend], I’ve seen more this past year playing more on the futures, which is on the lower end of the professional tour, how high the quality of depth has become in the sport of tennis.

“When I first started playing, it wasn’t the same as it is now, and there are a lot of guys that I do think would be able to compete with Mpetshi [Perricard].”

Broady then went on to praise the Frenchman, pointing to his serve as a ‘fantastic example’ for the younger generation.

“But one of things I would say is that shows the potential of this man here, because if he can figure it out from the baseline, he’s already creating break points against Fritz, he’s 35, 36 in the world.

“I think for any younger player, it is a fantastic example as to how important the serve is to the sport of tennis.

“We often say the serve and the return are the most important two shots, Giovanni [Mpetshi Perricard] shows the serve is the utmost important shot.”

Mpetshi Perricard’s supreme serving

Mpetshi Perricard continued to impress on serve during victory over Taylor Fritz.

As per Sofascore, the Frenchman made 70 per cent of his first serves against Fritz, winning 80 per cent of those points.

Remarkably, the Frenchman also won an astounding 76 per cent of his second serve points.

The 22-year-old also served 12 aces during the match and did not face a single break-point.

Mpetshi Perricard will face Danish star Holger Rune in the round of 16. The pair have won one match each against each other, with Rune most recently claiming victory during the 2025 Canadian Open.