Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are already legends of French and world tennis in doubles after winning this Sunday in Turin for the second time the ATP Finals. Finalists in 2018 and champions in 2019, the French, also winners of five Grand Slams, took revenge for the defeat in the group stage against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury and won (6-4 and 7-6 (0) in 91 minutes) in the final against the American and the British to lift the title again.
Herbert and Mahut, the first duo to reach the final three times in a four-year cycle since India’s Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes in 1997, 1999 and 2000, They are the eighth couple to win the Masters more than once in the history of the tournament. In their last three appearances (2018, 19 and 21) they have a record of 12-3.
Just as they did in the semifinals against Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, they took an early lead against Ram and Salesbury in the first set, with a break that his rivals could not overcome. And they didn’t have to defend a single break option. Nor in the second set, in which they threatened to break twice. In the end there was a tiebreaker in which they dominated to their heart’s content. After his victory, Mahut is fifth in the doubles ranking and Herbert is eighth.