Nicolas Mahut reveals Australian Open partner following Pierre-Hugues Herbert withdrawal
With Pierre-Hugues Herbert opting to skip the Australian Open due to being unvaccinated, Nicolas Mahut needed a partner for the event.
Now, the 39-year-old Frenchman has one in the form of compatriot and doubles world number 27 Fabrice Martin.
The two played alongside each other twice late on in the 2021 season at the European Open in Antwerp and the Vienna Open.
The pair won the ATP 250 event in Antwerp but went out in the first round in Austria.
“For Australia, it’s simple,” Mahut told L’Equipe on who he would play with at the Slam.
“I’m going to team up with Fabrice Martin. He was looking for a partner.
“We had already played together in Antwerp, where we won the tournament. If I don’t play with [Herbert], I want a partner with whom we are efficient but above all with whom I am sure to have a good time.
“Fabrice ticks all the boxes. I don’t want to go and play at the end of the world, far from my family, with someone with whom I don’t get along.”
Mahut won the Australian Open with Herbert back in 2019 and will be hoping to give the tournament a good shot with Martin.
But beyond the Melbourne Major, Mahut is not sure how his 2022 season will unfold.
“From there, it is less certain,” he explained. “Maybe I’ll play an indoor tournament with Pierre-Hugues in February.
“For Indian Wells and Miami, it will depend on the vaccination conditions.
“But I can’t imagine Pierre-Hugues skipping the Australian Open, then giving up his deep convictions to go play in Indian Wells and Miami. We will talk about all of this in the coming days.”
In the same interview, Mahut explained in more depth how he believes the move from Herbert could create bigger problems for his season.
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