A 4:40 a.m. wakeup is not usually ideal for a tennis player the morning of an ATP Tour semi-final. But Pierre-Hugues Herbert wouldn’t have it any other way right now.
The Frenchman’s fiancée, Julia Lang, gave birth to their first child, Harper, last September. It has been a life-changing six months for the No. 93 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, who beat countryman Ugo Humbert on Saturday to reach the Open 13 Provence final.
“It’s been for sure an exciting time. Having a baby changes your life. I didn’t know that before having one, but for sure it changes your view of life and also you need to adapt,” Herbert said. “For me, this week is pretty special because the beginning of the year has been hard. I’ve been away from family [for] five weeks in Australia, again away from family in Rotterdam. I didn’t see them a lot and I’m just so happy to have them right now with me at this tournament.”
That’s why getting woken up in the middle of the night did not bother Herbert.
“I was just happy to be woken up, almost. It didn’t go long, it was just to be fed and then go back to sleep so I could recover,” Herbert said. “I’m just so happy to be in this situation where I live those things. It’s life. It’s just amazing.”
Herbert will play top seed Daniil Medvedev for the Marseille trophy. The 29-year-old has been in top form at this ATP 250, where he has already defeated Top 10 star Stefanos Tsitsipas and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori.
Medvedev To Play For First Marseille Title
“I’m really happy about my match [against Humbert] and how I managed to come back on court after my win yesterday against Tsitsipas and still play a good match,” Herbert said. “I’m really proud of that and about the final, I play Daniil, third in the world, second [next week]. [He is] a player I’ve played already and a big champion. For sure it’s going to be an interesting final. I’m so happy to be in it and to be able to play such a final.”
Herbert has won all four Grand Slam championships in doubles with Nicolas Mahut, and he has previously reached three ATP Tour singles finals. If he upsets Medvedev on Sunday, Herbert will earn his first tour-level singles crown. Regardless of the result, the Frenchman is happy to be competing in front of his son.
“It’s a pretty special place where I’m at right now,” Herbert said. “I still have goals with my tennis and right now I’m just happy to be on court, happy to be with my family, so maybe you feel it when I’m on court.”