Final Match Or Greatest Win, Chardy Ready For Alcaraz

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After 18 years on Tour, Jeremey Chardy’s storied singles career will come to an end this fortnight at Wimbledon. His potential final match? A clash against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who is 16 years Chardy’s junior.

The 36-year-old Frenchman feels it would be a fitting way to end a chapter of his life that has given him so much.

“I love tennis with all my heart. Tennis is my passion,” Chardy told ATPTour.com. “Year after year, I love the game even more. During all the years, I have met so many players, coaches. I loved the life on Tour. In my career I'm really happy because when I look back, I feel like I was focused on trying to do my best during my career, so I have no regrets.

“I'm really happy to play against Alcaraz in maybe my last match. He's a different generation because I'm close to double his age. For me it is an emotional week because it will be my last tournament in singles, so it is a gift to have the chance to play against him in maybe my last match. I hope I am going to win, but maybe it can be the last time for me. I will enjoy it.”

Chardy made his tour-level debut in 2006 and went on to win his only tour-level title in Stuttgart in 2009. He also reached a career-high No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2013.

Wimbledon holds a special place for Chardy, who won the Wimbledon Boys’ singles title in 2005. He has since moved to England with his family and views SW19 as home.

“It started here at Wimbledon for me. In 2005 I won the Wimbledon juniors title,” Chardy reflected with a smile. “Now I have been living here for eight years and my wife is British. My son was born here. That's why it was important for me to finish here at home in Wimbledon. The club was always really nice to me, letting me train a lot of time when I came back from my injuries. It means a lot. That is why I decided this will be my last tournament.”

Chardy went 19-18 in 2021 but missed the 2022 season after undergoing knee surgery. After six months of rehab and hard work, the Frenchman made his comeback at the Australian Open and is delighted to be able to finish his singles career on his own terms.

“I didn't want to stop due to injury. I fought for many, many months to try to come back and be able to choose when I'm finishing and finishing on court,” said Chardy, who has played four tour-level events this season. “I'm ready to finish my singles career. I don't know yet if I will continue doubles, I will have to see. This is my final week in singles, so it's really strange.

“It is a little bit emotional because you're doing everything for the final time. Yesterday I did a cardio workout and I said to my fitness coach, in a way, I'm happy because it's my last cardio, but in another way, I am sad. It's sad because it's the last one.”

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While Chardy may be hanging up his racquet, he is set to remain in the game. Last year, the 36-year-old started coaching countryman Ugo Humbert after the 25-year-old parted with his team.

It has been a fruitful partnership so far, with Humbert rising back into the Top 40. However, it was not an arrangement Chardy had been planning on.

“I had the surgery last year for my knee and Ugo called me two days after my surgery because he stopped with his whole team and he asked me if I could help him until the end of the year,” Chardy explained. “I always wanted to try to give back all my experience and Ugo is a friend, so it was a good opportunity. I was doing my rehab with our physio because we share the same physio. And it was good. I really enjoyed the coaching at the beginning.

“I was not supposed to be a coach, though. When we started and started to travel, I started to really enjoy it. We did the offseason and he wanted to find a coach for this year because I wanted to play, but he wanted to stay with me. He is nice because he knew I wanted to play, so he accepted sometimes I can't be with him, but it is working well overall.”

_{^{Chardy and Humbert celebrate Humbert winning an ATP Tour Challenger event in Cagliari. Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour:}}
Despite the positives, balancing playing and coaching has been tricky at times for Chardy and Humbert. Earlier this season, their respective first-round matches in Rome were scheduled for the same day and time. With it impossible to be in two places at once, Chardy did his best to find a compromise.

“This was terrible because Ugo started playing before me. We prepared for the match before as normal and we did the warmup together and then I was watching [on TV]. But I had to go to prepare for my match," Chardy said. "I was looking at the score and I was playing and I could see at the changeover the score of his match and he lost 7-6 in the third set.

“The problem is when you are a player, if someone is leaving during the match, you're not happy, so I did not watch on court. It was difficult because when you coach, you have to think about the player and not about yourself. In this situation I was thinking about preparing him for his match, but I had to prepare my match too. It was difficult and on this particular day, I forget about myself a little bit because I was trying to do the best for him. It was more difficult for me to prepare my match and focus.”

Chardy and Humbert are both scheduled to begin their Wimbledon campaigns on Tuesday, meaning a similar situation to Rome may arise.

“We have talked about that and he has his physio with him and his girlfriend, so I told him to be ready to be alone on Tuesday. It is a strange day for him too because he knows it could be my last single match, so he wants to share this moment with me,” Chardy said.

If it is Chardy’s last match, it will be on one of tennis' biggest stages. His clash against Alcaraz is scheduled first on Court 1 on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old was full of praise for the 20-year-old ahead of their first meeting and feels the future of the sport is in good hands with the Spaniard at the helm.

“I think Carlos is an amazing player and really good for tennis. I think we had an amazing period with Rafa, Novak and Roger. And to have someone already here like Carlos, I think it's amazing because he's already winning big tournaments already World No. 1 at a really young age,” Chardy said. “I think he will push all the young players to be better. We are going to have some good rivalries again I think. This is good for the future of tennis.”

With one last dance ahead of him, the former World No. 25 will stay in the present on Tuesday as he aims to earn his 299th tour-level win and become just the fifth player to defeat Alcaraz this season.