If you’ve ever been infatuated with a celebrity despite knowing he or she doesn’t love you back, what you are experiencing, according to the French, is amour fou — literally “insane love.” In the tennis world, there’s a great number of fans who have amour fou for Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, and they’ll be ardently supporting their idols in a few days time as they compete at the French Open. But if you’re still looking for that special someone to root for on the clay courts next week, look no further than this crop of hometown heroes, the Frenchmen of professional tennis. From Nutella lovers, to guitar players to family men, they’re all big smiles, big serves and good looks. Just don’t blame us if you develop an obsessive passion for any one of these French tennis players.
1. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Age: 30
Hometown: Le Mans, France
Height: 6’2″
Ranking: 15
Why you might fall in love with him: His charity, Attrap’ La Balle (Catch the Ball), gives disadvantaged kids in Congo access to sports activities.
2. Jeremy Chardy
Age: 28
Hometown: Pau, France
Height: 6’2″
Ranking: 43
Why you might fall in love with him: The family-oriented Frenchman told the press in 2009: “When I don’t play, I need to go home to see my father, my mother, my grandpapa. We are very close.”
3. Richard Gasquet
Age: 28
Hometown: Beziers, France
Height: 6’1″
Ranking: 21
Why you might fall in love with him: Although he’s never been ranked at the top, he’s basically tennis royalty and appeared on the cover of French Tennis Magazine at age 9.
4. Julien Benneteau
Age: 33
Hometown: Bourg en Bresse, France
Height: 6’1″
Ranking: 44
Why you might fall in love with him: The Olympic bronze-medal winner is adorable with wife Karen on Twitter.
5. Gilles Simon
Age: 30
Hometown: Nice, France
Height: 6′
Ranking: 30
Why you might fall in love with him: He’s a little more subdued than other French players such as Tsonga and Gasquet, meaning less attention from the media, but in 2012 he told the ATP, “With their personalities they attract crowds. I am okay with it.” Also, take a second to compare the right photo to this one.
6. Gael Monfils
Age: 28
Hometown: Paris, France
Height: 6’4″
Ranking: 14
Why you might fall in love with him: If Monfils had a motto it’d probably be “IDGAF.” Known as the Harlem Globetrotter of tennis, Monfils once told reporters: “In France, the coaches want everything perfect. They want copy, they want beautiful. That is not me.”
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7. Adrian Mannarino
Age: 26
Hometown: Soizy, France
Height: 6′
Ranking: 31
Why you might fall in love with him: According to his Twitter, he likes Nutella pizza, DisneyWorld and playing soccer on the beach.
8. Benoit Paire
Age: 26
Hometown: Avignon, France
Height: 6’5″
Ranking: 71
Why you might fall in love with him: His nickname is La Tige (The Stalk) because he’s tall and thin. He says if he didn’t play tennis he would be a pro soccer player.
9. Lucas Pouille
Age: 21
Hometown: Paris, France
Height: 6’1″
Ranking: 91
Why you might fall in love with him: He likes shopping.
10. Pierre-Hughes Herbert
Age: 24
Hometown: Schiltigheim, France
Height: 6′
Ranking: 145
Why you might fall in love with him: He plays guitar and speaks four languages fluently.
