Roger Federer retired final 12 months and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka turns 38 later this month. But the way forward for Swiss males’s tennis seems in good arms.
Dominic Stricker made a splash final 12 months by competing within the Next Gen ATP Finals. On Thursday, 21-year-old Leandro Riedi will make his ATP Masters 1000 debut on the BNP Paribas Open towards Jack Draper after qualifying for the celebrated match on his first try at this stage. He is as much as No. 120 within the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
“It’s been a variety of enjoyable. It’s been a little bit of a battle to start with, the primary six, seven months weren’t straightforward. From juniors to the professionals, it’s a step,” Riedi informed ATPTour.com. “But it was all value it and now I’m feeling fairly nicely, particularly the previous couple months I’ve been fairly good and I actually take pleasure in it.”
The 20-year-old Stricker and 21-year-old Riedi are new on the scene as #NextGenATP gamers, however they’ve recognized one another since early of their junior days. Riedi recollects that they first met in 2011. In January 2014, earlier than they had been teenagers, after they represented their nation collectively in a group occasion. From that 12 months on, they started coaching collectively each Wednesday on the Swiss Federation and have become shut pals.
While Stricker sprinted to success, Riedi watched from afar and used the lefty’s triumphs as gas to proceed his personal climb.
“I’m undoubtedly not the man who’s a jealous man or really feel I’m underneath stress now. Maybe a bit you have got this sense that if he does it, it’s important to do it as nicely,” Riedi stated. “But for me it was all motivation and I used to be simply completely happy for him that he performed nicely. Of course on the identical time you’re fairly motivated if he can do it, then I can do it as nicely. That was my mindset a bit.”
Riedi performs soccer after qualifying for Indian Wells. Photo credit score: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour.
Mindset has proved key for Riedi. The Swiss admits that it isn’t his bodily recreation that has held him again prior to now. This 12 months’s Canberra ATP Challenger Tour finalist, who almost upset Hubert Hurkacz in Marseille, has battled towards himself.
“Definitely mentally I’ve improved so much prior to now three months, 4 months, particularly on court docket. I’ve improved so much supporting myself, not destroying myself, as a result of it’s already arduous sufficient towards these guys to play,” Riedi stated. “And for those who’re not serving to your self, it’s simply so robust to win.”
Instead of transferring on from a nasty spot of kind in a match, Riedi would dwell on it, exacerbating the difficulty. It would carry off the court docket, too.
“You’re alone on the court docket and for those who [are very hard on] your self there, it’s simply actually, actually arduous,” Riedi stated. “And I felt after I began enjoying the Challengers after which I bear in mind enjoying the qualies of the Swiss Indoors, I had some scent of what it’s wish to be there and for those who’re not in your ‘A’ recreation there mentally, you’re simply not going to win. You can possibly win fortunately. But to take care of it, it’s simply not doable.”
Riedi’s former coach left him final 12 months as a result of he felt the Swiss wanted to mature in his psychological recreation. That proved a turning level for the rising star, who gained back-to-back Challenger crowns in November.
“I don’t wish to be that man,” Riedi stated. “I wish to be the pleasant man and I suppose the change occurred. It’s working, it’s a variety of enjoyable.”
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The enjoyable of the game is what helped draw Riedi to tennis years in the past. At a younger age, the Zurich-born participant most well-liked soccer to tennis. But by 9 years previous, he started competing in additional tennis tournaments and loved it. The journey grew to become a perk as he has at all times preferred visiting new locations. In the previous few years he even spent three months coaching in Delray Beach, Florida with Jose Antonio Fernandez, which he pointed to as one other pivotal second in his improvement
Now Riedi is competing on one of many greatest levels within the sport. He hopes to proceed on his optimistic trajectory, with the objectives of quickly cracking the world’s Top 100 and qualifying for this 12 months’s Next Gen ATP Finals. If the 21-year-old continues mastering his thoughts, these accomplishments might be nicely inside attain.
“I nonetheless have stuff to enhance on the tennis facet as nicely, however everybody can play fairly good tennis right here,” Riedi stated. “Every match is so shut and in the long run I feel it will depend on the psychological facet, for those who’re there or not. I simply knew I may enhance a lot mentally if I’m actually right here. I can push extra and see what I can do. If I nonetheless lose, I’m nonetheless pleased with it.”
Source: www.atptour.com