France has hardly ever lacked entertainers on the subject of tennis. The nation’s present crop of #NextGenATP expertise is not any completely different.

When Arthur Cazaux steps on courtroom, he isn’t just eager about persevering with his stand up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 21-year-old can be pushed by a have to comply with within the footsteps of the game’s nice entertainers.

“I feel it is good to maintain our id and put some present within the sport,” Cazaux instructed ATPTour.com earlier this yr. “It is vital for tennis and likewise for the gang, as a result of folks come to look at us for a present. So it is good to have these sorts of gamers, like Yannick Noah and now with Gael Monfils, with Nick Kyrgios. That is good.”

The World No. 124 Cazaux should the possibility to reveal his personal on-court charisma at house this week on the Moselle Open in Metz, the place he competes as a wild card on the ATP 250. Presently eleventh within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Race To Jeddah, it could possibly be a decisive second in his bid to make a late cost in the direction of the season-ending Subsequent Gen ATP Finals.

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_{^{Arthur Cazaux in ATP Challenger Tour motion in Bordeaux earlier this yr. Photograph Credit score: Jared Wickerham/ATP Tour.}}

With Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche each in a robust place to make the eight-player discipline in Saudi Arabia, Cazaux could possibly be the third Frenchman to qualify this yr for the 21-and-under occasion. Like Fils and Van Assche, he’s fast to pay tribute to the affect of the French stars of his childhood, a few of whom are nonetheless enjoying and are actually his colleagues on the ATP Tour.

“We all the time have many good gamers, many gamers within the High 100, so I feel [there are good role models] in France,” mentioned Cazaux. “It was an excellent affect on me once I was youthful. The ‘Musketeer’ technology, with [Richard] Gasquet, [Gael] Monfils, [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga, [Gilles] Simon, additionally [Adrian] Mannarino, all these gamers. It was so good to look at French gamers on the prime.

“So it was good [then] in France and it is nonetheless good in France. Now I can practice with these sorts of gamers, I can discuss with these sorts of gamers. It is helped me loads.”

Cazaux’s largest childhood idol truly hailed from certainly one of France’s western European neighbours. But whereas Rafael Nadal was undoubtedly No. 1 within the younger Cazaux’s eyes, one of many earliest matches that sticks in his reminiscence featured the Spaniard enjoying second fiddle to a French nice.

“[I remember] Tsonga destroyed Rafa [6-2, 6-3, 6-2] within the semi-final of the Australian Open [in 2008],” mentioned Cazaux. “It was unbelievable. Jo took the match to his benefit, and he hit the ball so exhausting throughout this match, it was loopy… It was sort of loopy to place this type of rating up in opposition to Rafa throughout a semi-final.

“I used to be so younger. After all, I supported the French participant, however Rafa was my idol… Jo was [also] a real inspiration for me. He was a task mannequin. He performed so good throughout all his profession, he beat all one of the best gamers. I had the possibility additionally to talk many occasions with him and he’s an unbelievable individual.”

Recommendation from former High 10 stars corresponding to Tsonga appears to be paying off for Cazaux, who has received two ATP Challenger Tour titles, certainly one of which got here throughout a 13-match successful streak (together with qualifying) firstly of 2023. He hit his career-high of No. 119 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in August.

“Once I was talking with him, typically we spoke concerning the mentality,” mirrored Cazaux on his time spent with Tsonga. “Additionally with accidents. Despite the fact that I am younger, I had many large accidents and I do know Jo additionally had some large accidents throughout his profession. We spoke loads about this, about methods to come again higher on courtroom. It was actually cool.”

Whereas Tsonga possessed loads of joie de vivre on courtroom, Monfils is the participant whose sport type Cazaux is most drawn to.

“Gael Monfils was certainly one of my favorite gamers and remains to be certainly one of my favorite gamers,” mentioned Cazaux. “Now, I’ve met him, and I see him on the on the Tour, so it is completely different, however he conjures up me loads, along with his ‘showman’ type. We’re additionally [both] large followers of the NBA, and we now have this affect additionally. We spoke loads about this.”

With so many potential inspirations, Cazaux could possibly be forgiven for merely attempting to duplicate certainly one of his childhood heroes along with his on-court manner. But simply as Tsonga, Monfils et al. did earlier than him, Cazaux is targeted on bringing his personal distinctive model of tennis to courts all over the world.

“I’m genuine. I hold my character,” he mentioned. “I feel I’ve my very own character and I am very completely different from all the opposite gamers. I am a cool man and I feel while you watch me on courtroom, you assume that too.”