Tennis. Arthur Cazaux eliminates world No.8 Holger Rune at the Australian Open: who is this 21-year-old from Montpellier qualified for the third round ?

Huge performance for Montpellier Arthur Cazaux. MAXPPP – LUKAS COCH

Frenchman Arthur Cazaux eliminated world No.8 Holger Rune in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday January 18 in four sets 7-6 [4], 6-4, 4-6 , 6-3… But who is this Montpellier 122nd in the world, notably through handball and undermined by injuries ? 

Montpellier and he claims it

Aged 21, Arthur Cazaux was born in Montpellier on August 23 and joined the Juvignac Tennis Club (Hérault) at the age of 4. Despite the fact that he left for Paris for tennis two years ago, Cazaux claims his attachment to Montpellier.

"Me, in any case, I have felt like a Montpellier since I was born, even if I went to Paris two years ago to train. It’s really important to me to come back down when I need to rest, to recharge my batteries. I can see my family and friends who are from Montpellier again. It’s really the place where I feel the best. I sat down, I thought about what happened next, it did me good,” he said to Midi Libre in 2022.

A big serve thanks to his handball passive

Having become a professional tennis player in 2020, the Montpellier native almost became a handball player as well. Spotted by the MHB, he played with the youth teams until 2011 when he chose the yellow ball rather than the sticky ball.

This sport, in which the shoulder is a primordial muscle, will help him in his future career in which service will become his favorite weapon. "For seven years, I was only doing shoots and I developed a super lax shoulder, that's what helps me", he said explained to AFP after his second round victory at the Australian Open.

Injuries that undermined the start of his career

Currently 112th in the world and undoubtedly higher in the coming days thanks to his performances in Melbourne and his first Grand Slam victories, Cazaux has seen his career undermined by numerous injuries. 

A broken elbow, tendinitis in the shoulder and wrist, a fracture in the foot, a tear in the psoas and abdominals or even pubalgia which bothered her in 2022… the list has become too long for the Héraultais, who has chosen to rely on a full-time physiotherapist since last year. ;

"I think that's how I avoid injuries. I've been thinking about it for a long time. Even if I'm not top 100, I'm not making thousands and hundreds, I said to myself: “If there was a time to invest, it's now, it's okay help me get through milestones faster.

A Challenger title to start the year 2024

In terms of prize list, the Montpellier native has won three tournaments on the Challenger circuit, the world's second division. Twice the Nonthaburi Open 2 in Thailand in 2022 and 2023 and especially recently, the New Caledonia Open on January 6. 

Regarding Grand Slam tournaments, the Frenchman had never won a single match in a final draw before this Australian Open in Melbourne with two failures at Roland-Garros in 2021 and 2023, as well as Wimbledon and the US Open in 2023.