Earlier this year, Ugo Humbert and Fabrice Martin reached the final of the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. Little did they know that less than six months later, they would be leading the charge for Team France at the United Cup, with Martin the captain and Humbert his country’s No. 1 singles player.
“We created a bond, so that was fun,” Martin told ATPTour.com. “That helped, I think, for what we're doing now, spending time together and practising. He really gave me confidence to help him out. So that's great.”
Martin is more than Humbert’s captain. He is also the lefty’s full-time coach.
Less than two years ago, the eight-time ATP Tour titlist was inside the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings. But the 38-year-old has struggled with an injury, changing his career trajectory.
“I had surgery last year on my elbow, and I came back this year in Indian Wells and I struggled a bit to come back to a good level. And in the summer it was fine, but then in the US Open, I got hurt again, the elbow,” Martin said. “Ugo asked me to work with him and to do a test until the end of the year. So I went to Asia with him, and it went well, and my elbow is not really getting better, so he asked me if I could join the team for next season.
“So here I am now in Sydney, and I'm going to do the year with him.”
Martin, Humbert and Chloe Paquet at the Taronga Zoo. Photo: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour.
Humbert has risen to a career-high No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings under the guidance of Jeremy Chardy, who is Martin’s best friend. So while their coach-player relationship began recently, they have known one another for longer.
“I was hanging out with him and with them during the tournaments, so I got to know him over the years,” Martin said. “I played the ATP Cup with him in 2021 and we have always gotten along pretty well.
“He's a hard worker, and I like his spirit and the way he wants to improve and the goals he wants to achieve. We really are doing, I think, the best we can to push him to his best level. Every day, we are improving, and we're doing good work. He's really professional on a daily basis, so it's really nice working with someone like that.”
Martin was clear that he is not retired yet. His elbow still bothers him, but at some point the Frenchman would like to try to compete with Humbert to see how it feels.
“But the plan right now is to be with Ugo and coach him. The project is pretty good. It is really exciting to be part of the team,” Martin said. “It's very, very strange to be in Australia not playing. But the atmosphere and the vibe with Ugo is great, so I'm very happy to be part of the team.”
