this time to Sergis Sargsian of Armenia. In 2005, Mathieu had the chance to redeem himself to the French public, as France took on Sweden in his hometown, Strasbourg, in the World Group first round. There was doubt, going into the match, whether Mathieu could perform on the greatest stage. The infamous 2002 final was still raw in the memories of French tennis fans. Unlike in 2002, however, this was PHM’s moment of redemption. Mathieu won his two singles rubbers, including the decisive fifth rubber against then-world #7, Thomas Johansson. In the space of one weekend, Mathieu blew away the memories of his famous collapse in the 2002 final.

What followed was more on-court success for Mathieu. In 2006, he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open andthe following year, he won the titles in Casablanca and Gstaad. PHM also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2007, losing to eventual quarterfinalist Andy Roddick. Although the two titles that Mathieu won in 2007 were both on clay, his form throughout the tour showed that he was a jack-of-all-trades, who could adapt his style to different surfaces with ease. He would go on to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2008, as well as Wimbledon in 2010.

Knee surgery

Mathieu’s reliance on powerful groundstrokes and physical exertion took its toll on the Frenchman’s health. In 2010, he underwent a complex knee surgery, which sidelined him for the next 14 months. Doctors initially doubted whether PHM could return to the ATP World Tour,