Mahut/Herbert Win Home Masters 1000 Title
Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut won their seventh ATP Masters 1000 team doubles title on Sunday, and it might already be their favourite. The Frenchmen celebrated their first Rolex Paris Masters crown by beating Russians Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1.
“It was important to win it together because you never know when you can play it again. And being the titleholder in front of the family [is special],” Mahut said.
“After the year that we've had together as a duo, it was wonderful. We've had a wonderful week on court and off court together. And I think we've fulfilled everyone's expectations.”
The Frenchmen broke in the 10th game of the opener and rolled in the second set, breaking twice. They fended off all four break points faced for the match to win their 14th title as a team.
Herbert/Mahut became the eighth doubles team to win all four major championships in January at the Australian Open. They didn't play a full season of doubles together as Herbert opted to focus on his singles for much of the year. But they started and ended their regular season with Big Titles and will next compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.
“We're very happy to have managed to talk together and to talk honestly to each other, and this is why we're strong on court, because we have complicity. We're close to one another, and we're ready to give everything to the other,” Herbert said. “This is why we managed to be different. In tennis, we tend to be selfish, I would say. And with Nico, I manage to have someone who shares everything, who is very altruistic, and this is very positive for tennis.”
The Frenchmen will receive 1,000 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €995,720 in prize money. Khachanov/Rublev were playing in their second Masters 1000 doubles final as a team (2018 Miami, l. to Bryan/Bryan). They will receive 600 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €503,730 in prize money.
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