Courageous winner, Humbert reassures himself: "It was a milestone to reach".

The French No.1 faltered in the first round at Wimbledon. Up against Alexander Shevchenko, Hugo Humbert needed 5 sets and over 3 hours of fighting to get through (6-1, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-1).

Alternating between the good and the very shaky, it was finally at the end of a head-and-shoulders dominating 5th set that he qualified.

Although he admits that he was far from his best tennis, this kind of result is exactly what he needed to regain his confidence.

Indeed, plunged into a spiral of disappointing results, Humbert needed to reassure himself both physically and mentally.

This is what he explained in a press conference: "It wasn't going well. I stayed calm, that's what I wanted to achieve today. Even when I felt I wasn't playing at a great level, I managed to stay stable.

It was a milestone to reach. I talked about it a lot with my team and my therapist. I had a hard time gaining confidence in my physique. I worked hard. Matches like that show me that physically I'm in good shape and that I can win matches in five sets.

There were times when I played very well, others when I was less precise. If I can stay focused, I think I can beat some very good players."