Toulouse. Arthur Reymond is off to a good start
Affected by gastro in the previous days, the Stade Toulousain player, N.49 French, started the year with a final. He surrendered in three sets against Jules Marie, N.37.
“I had to change my schedule because of a gastro. So, I had opted for a good week of rest. It did me the greatest good.” Most of the time, he goes through the stages of the international circuit (ITF and Challenger). But last week, for his first meeting of the year, Arthur Reymond (22 years old, Stade Toulousain) finally attacked 2022 in France, more precisely on the courts of Hazebrouck (North) for a stage of the CNGT (National Circuits of the Great Tournaments), in other words the most important French events.
Placed directly into quarters
“It must have been about two or three years since I had not participated in this kind of competition. And it was the first time that I played on these installations”, underlines the 631st world and N.49 tricolor, placed directly in quarter-finals. “The format was particular since I played two matches on Saturday and the final the next day. Nevertheless, I felt very good in my game”, recognizes the Stadiste, seeded N.3 in the table, taker of Tak- Khunn Wang (N.60; 6-4, 6-2) and Thomas Laurent (N.40; 6-4, 7-6) in his first two games.
On Sunday, the northerner stay ended with a defeat (7-6, 6-7, 6-2) against Jules Marie (N.37, ex-228th world in 2015). Nevertheless, Arthur could keep his head held high: “The game lasted nearly three hours. I had two set points in the first set. But beyond this result in the final, I remain satisfied with my performances on these. two days.”
A 2021 season disrupted by the Covid
Ranked 589th in the world in January 2021, the Toulousain had seen his season disrupted during the summer by the Covid “The first five months had been complicated because I did not accumulate many victories. Then, in June, I was tested positive. I really tasted. For almost a week, I dragged all the symptoms. I had no appetite. The result was eight kilos less on the scale. It took me about a month and a half to recover. But I was only 70% of my form. Fortunately, I had a good end of the season “, details the one who lost two finals on the ITF circuit (in August and October), not to mention three quarter-finals in the Challengers and three doubles titles in the ITF.
An end of the year marked by the title of French champion by Pro A teams (ie the national elite) with his friends from the Stade Toulousain. A test during which Arthur had notably come close to the feat in the preliminary phase against the Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles (120th), before causing a sensation by beating his compatriot Tristan Lamasine (273rd). “I have a lot more consistency in my game. And physically, I did not get injured. Provided that it lasts in 2022 and the classification will follow”, assures the young man who has not planned tournaments for the two possible weeks.