Ugo Humbert admits he himself realized that his sportsmanship against Karen Khachanov wasn't the best and also revealed that he reached out to the Russian to apologize after his behavior was slammed.
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On Saturday, the Frenchman edged out the world No. 19 6-7 (6) 6-4 6-3 to make the Paris Masters final. Through the opening five games of the third set, the home favorite was 2-3 down but he was serving.
Then, Khachanov started to feel his leg and he called a medical timeout. After getting some treatment, the 28-year-old continued the match but evidently struggled. Humbert took advantage and won four games in a row to complete a three-set win.
Afterward, the 2018 Paris champion took instance with the 26-year-old's behavior, saying it was extremely disappointing to see the Frenchman celebrating while battling an injured opponent.
I told him at the net to show more respect. He has no idea how to behave. Im always about fair play. I will congratulate him if he behaves like a normal person. Thats all I can say. You can be with the crowd. I have no problem with that. Did you see me celebrate yesterday? Grigor was exhausted. He wasnt injured at the end, he told me. 'Did you see me jumping and screaming, Come on! Allez! After every point.. do you think its okay? You can celebrate after with the crowd no problem. You can do whatever you want. But while you see injuries are part of the game to do it while you see the guy is on the ground? Okay, see you next time," Khachanov said on Ziggo Sport shortly after the match ended.
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Humbert issues a statement after the Khachanov criticism
While the French world No. 14 managed to reach the Paris final, he didn't have much gas left in the tank as Alexander Zverev absolutely dominated the match and easily won 6-2 6-2. Then, the Frenchman decided to skip this week's ATP 250 tournament in Metz but also address the criticism he faced.
According to Humbert, he didn't realize that Khachanov was injured but he rather thought that the former world No. 8 was battling cramps.
"Hi everyone, I wanted to say a few words following the controversy after my semi-final against Karen. After the physio's intervention, I thought it was a cramp, as I was almost cramping myself after 2 and a half hours of intense play. I've lost other matches this year in similar circumstances and this time l remained very focused on the goal. I'm sorry to see that this has been misunderstood and even worse, described as a lack of fair play," Humbert wrote in a message posted on his Instagram Story.
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"I have contacted him personally to apologize. I have great respect for Karen and for all the opponents l've had to meet so far. This will serve as a lesson to me to act better in the future. Thank you to everyone who has supported me this week. From every point of view, this tournament taught me a lot."
What did Humbert say in his post-match press conference?
After overcoming a tight battle in the Paris semifinal, the local player was the first to acknowledge that he noticed something wasn't right with his rival. And in that moment, the advice from his coach Jeremy Chardy was to try to make Khachanov run and further exhaust him.
Also, Humbert admitted that his confidence was boosted after seeing that the 28-year-old wasn't feeling his best.
"He (Chardy) coached me a lot, especially towards the end. I felt that he was tired, that he started cramping. It boosted my confidence. At the beginning of the third, I was very much tired, and he would push very much on his external slice. He said to close the angle more, to block the serve, and when I felt that he was wearing out, I said, wear him out, make him run back and forth. And afterwards, it was pure happiness," the Frenchman said.
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Also, Humbert gave credit to the Parisian crowd for propelling him over the line when he needed it.
"There were times when I was really at the borderline, physically speaking, and when I saw him cramp and the public that pushed me, I felt good all of a sudden. This is what helped me to edge through and manage to have a win," the Frenchman said.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old didn't reveal in his message how Khachanov responded to his apology. But in all likelihood, the Russian tennis star accepted it and the two got over the incident.
Both Humbert and Khachanov were slated to play in Metz this week but they withdrew so therefore the chances of them having a rematch already this week were squashed.
