Humbert on the demise of the Metz tournament: "It's heartbreaking".
Ugo Humbert is in Marseille to defend his title. Last year's winner against Grigor Dimitrov, the Frenchman is hoping to complete the double in the Bouches-du-Rhône.
Ahead of his opener against Alexander Bublik, the Metz native attended a press conference and was asked about the disappearance of his hometown tournament from 2026.
"For me, it's a heartbreaker. I'm really sad about this news. What's certain is that whatever happens this year, if I'm ill or injured, I'll come and play, because this will be the last edition.
Fortunately, I managed to win it before it disappeared... It's a shame, because it's the tournament that really made me love tennis and gave me the desire to go out and play and become a pro.
I saw all the greats, Djokovic who won, Murray who came too, those are incredible memories.
When I got out of school, I used to go straight to the Arena to watch the matches with my dad.
I saw almost every final. When I was on the court, it was already fabulous. And then to win it, I think it was the most important moment of my career, even if it's not the biggest title.
For what it represents, it was the most beautiful," he asserted, according to L'Équipe.
