On the verge of breaking physically - "there, damn, I hurt everywhere" - Simon who, at 37, played in the Paris hall the last tournament of his career, came to the end of the world No.11 after more than three hours of match 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Monday evening already, he had fought for 2h50 min to overthrow Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

He now has an appointment in the round of 16 on Thursday with the player in form of the moment, the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, with three titles in three weeks in October.

As if filled with hope by his inaugural feat, the thousands of spectators made themselves heard even before the first strikes, the "Allez Gilou" responding from one stand to another.

Fritz's very first serve, judged fault after video arbitration, then his double fault which followed, loudly applauded by the Bercy public, immediately announced the color.

Like Simon's successful entry break, greeted by an ovation and an ola from the first change of side.

"Three months of recovery"

For what risked being the last match of his twenty-year career, the Frenchman meticulously deployed all his knowledge of the game to maneuver the winner of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 to perfection and make him work until the end. wear and tear until you lose patience.

"I just feel like I can play every game like there's no tomorrow, because it's the last," Simon describes his latest exploits.

"A little more than usual, and it was already the case at Roland-Garros, I'm ready to die on the pitch."

"A match like that is three months of recovery, but it's the end, I put everything I have (...) And when I look at my + dwarfs + (in the stands), they have so much more energy than me, I say to myself: + come on, I'll take a little from them +", he smiles.

Maybe that's what he did when he went on red alert, trailing 5-4, 0-40 in the first set, to put up five points in a row and tie it at 5-5.

In the next game, it was he who broke, pushing his opponent to make a mistake.

We had already been playing for more than an hour when Simon took the lead, an inning to zero.

Caught in his net, Fritz quickly conceded a break in the second set (2-1), after an exchange 100% Gilles Simon, initially solid in defense, then able to reverse the course.

Thigh, back, shoulder

But the break in advance evaporated immediately and the blow of worse was obvious for the ex-N.6 world, today 188th.

So when Fritz equalized to a set all after more than two hours of play, not without having dismissed three break points on his previous service game, which would have allowed Simon to serve for the match, difficult to be optimistic for the 30-year-old tricolor.

On the court, his body creaks on all sides: left thigh, back, right shoulder.

Simon, precisely pushed towards the exit by his declining physique, mumbles "I can't take it anymore", shouts "I have a bad back" but, whatever the cost, he continues to fight like a handsome devil.

The reward is worth the effort: after three hours of play and a four-game break everywhere, it is Simon who is about to serve for the match.

The opportunity is too good to let it slip away and, a few moments later, all of Bercy spontaneously sings the Marseillaise.

"At the start of the third set, you feel alone, but alone ... Because you say to yourself, damn it's far, it's going to be hard, I hurt everywhere, I can't do it anymore, says He. And then you look up and, in fact, you're not alone at all."

© 2022 AFP