The 26-year-old could have taken time off to heal his broken pinky earlier in the clay swing, but he persevered and played a full schedule spanning Monte-Carlo, Munich, Madrid and Rome, though he retired during his opening match at the Italian Open.
But Humbert’s level suffered, and his opponents noticed, cancelling any practice sessions they had and opting not to hit with him during tournaments.
“Nobody wants to train with me anymore! As a left-hander, it’s already complicated, but with one finger missing, it’s worse,” the world No. 21 told Quentin Moynet.
“In Madrid, I hit all week with sparring [partners]. Last week in Munich, I signed to train with Cerundolo.
“But an hour before training, without telling me, he signed with another guy. It’s driving me crazy! As a result, I played for half an hour with my physio. It’s really a world of sharks.”
Humbert came into the French Open with a 1-4 record on European clay this year but, with his splint now off, he’s already playing with more freedom.
The home hope dispatched Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in straight sets on Tuesday and confirmed he was finally rediscovering his form again.
“When I start playing, at the beginning, the pain is a 6, 7 out of 10, so it hurts and it bothers me. After 10, 15 minutes the pain goes down. After 45 minutes I feel practically no pain at all,” Humbert explained.
“But I really need to get back into really get leaning into my backhand, because I have a good backhand. I played for one month with a backhand where I was just trying to push the ball.
“I have to really get used to that, and, you know, there is obviously a bit of apprehension in my mind. Yeah, things are coming back gradually, and I’m very happy.”
Fearnley could yet prove to be a tricky opponent for the No. 22 seed, but Humbert is hoping the crowd advantage can give him the edge.
Assessing the Brit’s game, he added: “He’s playing very well on clay court. His game is great. He has a great forehand and a great service.
“He really played well in the important moments, and he’s a great player. He’s progressed very fast. I don’t think he’s been around that long on the circuit.
“A very good player. I think it’s not going to be an easy match. It’s going to be great with the atmosphere, and I’m going to try and make the most of it.”
