Adrian Mannarino declared as soon as he entered the interview room following his victory at the U.S. Open on Tuesday, “I don’t want to talk about the next round or whatever.” “I keep my eyes off the draw.”
The 36-year-old Frenchman, who is currently ranked 42nd in the world, has a tendency of waiting less than an hour before every match to find out who he will be facing. This behaviour began before he got pro. Mannarino stated, “I would lose a lot of energy thinking about the match if I knew who I was going to play against.” “You want to enjoy the moment and not really obsess about what’s coming, especially when you’re winning one match in a Slam.”
The majority of players on tour will train especially for their next opponent, whether they are a huge server versus a baseliner or a righty or lefty. During a news conference at the Australian Open this year, left-hander Adrian Mannarino stated, “I just think that’s bulls—.”
The least of Mannarino’s peculiarities as a player is his lack of preparation for games.
His wardrobe selection is another. Earlier in the year, Mannarino faced Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open fourth round at Rod Laver Arena. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt with no visible logo. Due to the potential earnings left on the table, it is quite unusual for any player rated inside the top 100 to go more than a year without a sponsor. Prior to that, he was sponsored by the Italian sportswear company Hydrogen.
“If I didn’t have a solid relationship with the brand and they weren’t doing anything that I genuinely feel happy playing with, I wouldn’t sign with any brand,” Mannarino declared. “I want to feel extremely at ease on the court.”
Finally, in April, Mannarino inked a contract with Celio, a French menswear company. Still, his monochrome, understated attire with the word “Celio” printed on it seems a lot like 2023. He’s satisfied despite his 2-15 on-court record since the transition.
Mannarino remarked, “They’re truly listening to what I want.” Something rather straightforward. For a few years now, I’ve been experimenting with several Lululemon products because of their incredible quality and ability to replicate a very comparable look.
The way Mannarino plays tennis is also unique. Mannarino employs roughly 20 pounds of tension, which is less than other players’ 40–60 pounds, essentially making his racket into a trampoline. That not only fits his playing style but also helps reduce wrist soreness, which so many tennis players experience. With short, compact swings that prioritise placement over power, he smashes the ball flat.
Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Mannarino in the third round of the 2023 U.S. Open, remarked, “He’s really frustrating to play.” He is merely kicking the ball about. It moves quite slowly. You think to yourself, “Man, what’s he doing?” as you gaze at him.
Maybe as a result of his unusual method, his surface-based results differ greatly. His lifetime victory percentage on hard courts is 48%; however, it soars to 58% on grass and plummets to just 21% on clay, which is generally more favourable to players with higher spin rates. With at least 25 matches played on each surface, no active ATP player has a greater disparity in winning % between the two surfaces.
His career trajectory has also been unusual; in 2023, he had by far his greatest season (during his sponsor-free phase). After turning 35 years old, Mannarino won three tournaments in the second half of last year, which was more than he had ever done in his career.
His strategy has always been consistent. Even though he hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals in any major competition, he has participated in 58 Grand Slam events without making it to the quarterfinals, which is the second-longest streak in history. The only two players with longer active streaks are Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov.
At an age when most players start to deteriorate, how has he managed to keep up his form? In a light-hearted post-match interview earlier this year, he said, “I started tequila.” “That aids in avoiding overthinking.”
That justification seems sense given the rest of his persona. Just as he doesn’t want to obsess about his attire, he also doesn’t want to think too much about his next opponent.
“I’m not a famous person. Mannarino declared, “I’m not trying to be anything based on how I appear.” “I’m just a tennis player who enjoys the game, and I want to look well and feel good about myself.”
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