Coach of Month

Guiding Gio the Giant: How Coach Planque is shaping Mpetshi Perricard's rapid rise

With more than 30 years of experience and various Grand Slam titles in his list of coaching accolades, Emmanuel Planque boasts an impressive resume.

The Frenchman now casts a watchful eye on one of his country’s brightest prospects: ATP's most improved player of 2024 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 21-year-old is at a career-high No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings after a dazzling campaign in which he won five titles, including two at tour-level in Lyon and Basel. Yet it is not just these stellar results that interest Planque.

What matters most is the bond the two have forged, which ultimately allows for success on the court.

“The strength [of our partnership] is that we have a very strong emotional relationship and are able to have very intimate discussions,” Planque told ATPTour.com. “I remember a taxi ride in Rio, one evening after a victory in a Challenger event. It was very late, Gio had played a very long match and in the car he confided very intimate things to me. These are moments that count.

“The wins are ultimately the consequence of something. What interests me is the journey we took to get there. It would be a cliché and not true to say [the tournament wins] have been our greatest moments. The victories are good, but it is the progress that interests me.”

_{^{Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Emmanuel Planque, Gilles Cervara and Daniil Medvedev. Photo: Emmanuel Planque}}

Although Planque had worked with Mpetshi Perricard since 2021 - in a group which included Arthur Fils - it wasn’t until 2023 when their collaboration began to take shape. They started working exclusively together and Planque took on the role of full-time coach.

“It was during this time when he was becoming an adult, moving out of adolescence,” Planque recalled. “It was a developmental phase for the individual but, at the same time, the job is to develop a player and build them up for the world of professional tennis. That's a lot of work because a junior, by definition, is not built for high level play, neither physically nor psychologically.

“The satisfaction for me is seeing him develop and grow with the tools to compete at the highest level. We have the feeling that it's just the beginning for Giovanni and that he will continue to progress and beat the best players.”

After a successful 2024 season, Planque has much reason to be proud of the fledgling partnership he has forged with his young countryman. Mpetshi Perricard produced an inspired run to clinch his maiden tour-level title in his home town of Lyon and followed it up with a first ATP 500 triumph in Basel.

While the 6’8” Frenchman made use of the quick indoor courts to average a staggering 21.8 aces per match en route to the Basel crown, his triumph on the clay in Lyon was particularly significant.

"I must admit that I didn't think he would win his first ATP tournament on clay," said Planque. "I was a bit surprised that he won on clay before hard, and by beating good players. But what happened in Basel or Wimbledon [reaching the fourth round] is not really a surprise to me."

 

Mpetshi Perricard's hieght and unconventional style - firing second serves at speeds comparable to his first - lend an unpredictable and aggressive edge to his game. His title in Lyon, however, demonstrates his ability to translate all-court skills into success on slower surfaces. Mpetshi Perricard also unveiled a vastly improved backhand in Brisbane earlier this month that he and Planque have seemingly been working on in the offseason, destined to further shape his development into a more well-rounded threat on Tour.

Despite the success Mpetshi Perricard notched during his breakthrough 2024 season, Planque recognises the importance of the journey that they are on and the steps they must take to ensure their goals are achieved.

“Giovanni entrusts me with something very precious,” Planque explains. “He wants to be one of the best players in the world and it's me who he has chosen to accompany him in this quest. This is very precious to me, and I have to be extremely dedicated and committed to our work. I spend more time with him than with my family. He is aware of that and we both make the effort to motivate [each other].”

_{^{Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in action against Gael Monfils at the 2025 Australian Open. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}

Once a promising junior himself, Planque has always been immersed in the sport. While playing the French championships in Paris at age 16 and 18, he would always be intrigued by a player’s technique. This drove Planque to take up coaching in a bid to pocket extra earnings while playing money tournaments. When he was 24, Planque took on the project of coaching a junior who lived next to their Parisian club, Michael Llodra.

“It's quite funny because we had a period that lasted for over 10 years,” Planque explained. “We won all categories of tournaments together, from juniors at under-16 right through to the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open in 2004. We made a long story like that. I learned my profession from him.”

Llodra went on to reach lofty heights in the sport, rising to World No. 3 in doubles with 26 titles, including three Grand Slams, and climbing to No. 21 in singles with five titles. Prior to their time together, Planque claims to have “had no philosophy”. Yet following their collaboration, the Frenchman was well equipped with the tools to triumph as a coach on the ATP Tour. Planque later guided countryman Lucas Pouille to the Top 10, highlighted by wins over Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2016 and triumph at the 2017 Davis Cup.    

“My method of training has evolved considerably,” Planque said. “In the beginning, I was inexperienced but now, if I have a philosophy, it's to try to understand the individual in front of me. To try to understand how he is, how he works, his upbringing, his culture. To propose things to him that will help him to achieve, that will help him to progress.”

This greater depth of understanding is what has so far proven fruitful in Planque’s partnership with Mpetshi Perricard.

“At certain moments, an athlete can have emotional difficulties or doubt that can sometimes generate worry or anxiety. In these times, it's often the athlete who reveals himself very intimately,” said Planque. “These discussions are quite intense, because it's rare for an athlete to be able to deeply express what he feels.

“So for Giovanni to talk about his fears with someone who is his coach, it's not always very easy to do. I take this as a great mark of confidence, a privilege that the athlete trusts me in emotionally extreme moments. It's a great responsibility for me and I try to live up to it.”