Image: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Mandl
Although Jürgen Melzer’s 17-year-old protégé is still in the junior division, the current greatest hope for youngsters in Austrian tennis is believed to be the medium to long-term successor to the US Open triumphant 2020, who will be 30 from Sunday.
In addition to defeats at the Australian Open and in Wimbledon, a quarter-final at the French Open made it clear on which surface Schwärzler feels comfortable. In addition to the sand, he also likes hard courts, he only had a bad day in Australia. “I still lack consistency, but I also feel very comfortable on hard court,” said the Vorarlberger of the APA – Austria Press Agency. And moreover, in a playful way, turf is exactly his.
Melzer as coach
His Wimbledon appearance this year was of course his first ever on this surface, so the acclimatization period was too short. Basically, this spectrum points to a prospective all-rounder with full potential, just as his trainer Melzer has celebrated successes on all surfaces. Schwärzler benefits from his experience. “He knows what he did wrong, which I hope I won’t do. He tells me that too,” said the youngster about the former top ten man.
The fact that Melzer and Schwärzler have a similar game and are both left-handed supports the development process of last year’s U16 European champions. “He can give me a lot,” says Junior, who is graduating from an online school. He trains with Melzer almost every day, only maybe two or three times a month the 42-year-old is not there. Melzer and the athlete, who has been supported by Red Bull since spring, go on tour together for ten to twelve weeks a year.
The player type similarity also helps Melzer in his work. “I can understand certain things a little better or feel them differently. I had an aggressive game, he has one. There are parallels that I can use and help him,” said the ÖTV sports director. He, Melzer, also played excerpts of his own roles for Schwärzler. “I can say, look, that’s what I’m talking about. Those are the points that we need to improve.”
“It hasn’t happened since Thiem”
But he doesn’t want to use comparisons too much, because everyone is an individual player and no one is the same as the other. As such an individual, Melzer sees Schwärzler on the right track. “He’s in the top 15 in youth (in the world rankings, note) and has already reached a quarter-finals at a Grand Slam. That hasn’t happened since Dominic, for a long time. But of course I also see what’s possible in my daily work would be, and how far away we are from it.”
A certain maturation process is still missing for his protégé to bring the potential to the pitch every day. Melzer: “He’s also not the type of player you stick in a template and say, this and that happens. He just has a lot of options – and it’s difficult to choose the right one.” It is a learning process that a young person has to go through. “From the willingness to work – sometimes we’re really good at it, and sometimes there are idle times that need to be minimized.”
ATP debut in Kitzbühel
In any case, the son of a Vorarlberger and a South African learned a lot on his ATP Tour debut a month ago in Kitzbühel, even if it ended in the first qualifying round and the first double round. “A super experience, the experience is really cool. I hope that I can play next year and maybe this year in Vienna too.” Melzer doesn’t see that as a priority this year: “The futures are actually more important to me. That’s the stage where he belongs at the moment.”
Schwärzler is 14th in the junior world rankings, he was already eleventh, his goal at the end of the year is the top ten. “Hopefully I will be after the US Open. If not, I will still play the tour in South America.” But there are also smaller goals. “Improving your backhand,” he gave as an example. Pressure is there, but pressure is also good. “Because that gives me the sign that people believe in me and that I’m good. That gives me self-confidence again.”
Source: Nachrichten
