An interview with Parma winner Cedrik-Marcel Stebe - Top 100 as target for 2021
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe finished the season with a title win. At the Internazionali Di Tennis Citta di Parma in Italy, endowed with 44,820 euros, the 30-year-old German defeated Briton Liam Broady 6-4, 6-4 in the final on Sunday. It was Stebe's eighth overall triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour, his first since 2017 at the Sibiu Open in Romania. Stebe spoke to tennisnet.com after the victory.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Nov 09, 2020, 01:42 pm
On the way back from Emilia Romagna towards his Austrian residence in Lochau, we were able to call the former number 71 of the ATP world rankings as part of the tennis podcast "Challenger Corner" and talk about his impressions of the past week and his season conclusion. It goes without saying that Stebe took a break from driving for this interview.
tennisnet: Hello Cedrik-Marcel! Where can we reach you right now?
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe: I was just on the motorway in Italy, turned right and on my way home.
Congratulations on winning the title in Parma! It was a competitive final. What made the difference in the end?
I felt like I was the more experienced player. I felt that he was approaching the matter a little nervously and was able to take advantage of this relatively quickly and get away. It wasn't easy though because he's a very good player. Even a left-handed person who is very uncomfortable on this surface and fights for every ball. In the end, however, I had the right tactics, played a lot on his forehand and that worked well.
After an outdoor clay court tournament, this was the second event in Parma this year. This time, however, in the hall. How were the conditions on site?
Overall, everything was well resolved. The organizers made three systems available, which eased the crowd of players a little. In addition, the temperatures in Italy were still very pleasant these days. We were consistently between 15 and 17 degrees and there was a lot going on outdoors. The facilities of the selected clubs were also very spacious. Distance rules could therefore be adhered to. Some spectators were probably also allowed. Around 30 to 40 people sat in the stands for the final.
At the same time, the Challenger Eckental took place in Germany last week. What made the difference for you to compete in Parma?
The reason was the carpet in Eckental. I ended my carpet career three weeks ago with the tournament in Ismaning. So far I haven't won a match on the surface and that's why I definitely wanted to play on the hard court. So the tournament was very convenient for me, although I didn't know beforehand that the underground was very fast here too. A “Play-it” rubber surface has been laid in a gym, so things went very quickly on the square. In the end, however, it worked out quite well.
Absolutely. The last title win was a few years ago. How important is it to end a tournament week with a trophy in hand again?
Very important. Mainly because I had to end the 2017 season early due to a wrist injury. Three major operations followed. So it's nice to see that after such a long injury I can come back and play tennis at a very high level again. I was able to show that last year at the tournament in Gstaad ( note: final defeat against Albert Ramos-Vinolas ), but when you win a title it's something else. It's a nice end to a difficult season.
It was your last tournament in 2020. How is your personal conclusion of the season?
There has never been a season like this before. You have to try to come to terms with it. And try to look at everything a little more relaxed. Certain restrictions will probably continue to accompany us, it doesn't help to complain about them all the time. It was also difficult for me to find my motivation again after the restart. Everything was new and you didn't know how things would be. So far, however, everything has worked very well. Nonetheless, I naturally hope that the situation will normalize or improve somewhat. However, we will still have to struggle with it in the near future.
There is also some uncertainty about the near future. What are your plans?
I assume that the Australian Open will take place and see this as my next goal. The planning will, however, look rather short-term, as it is not yet known which other tournaments can be played. So I only look two to three months into the future.
Keyword Melbourne. What is your current situation regarding participation in the Australian Open?
I will probably be placed around position 120, which means that I have to start in the qualification. Unless this would be canceled, which I do not expect. I would then be set, which is a small advantage and represents a further step towards the top 100.
A return to the top 100 will also be the goal for 2021?
I agree. This was already planned for this year. However, the corona-related break thwarted my plans because I was in very good shape at the start of the season. In addition, I hadn't had any points to defend for several months. It therefore hurt a little when I was slowed down and had to start all over again. It also took a few months before I was able to pick up speed again, both mentally and playfully. But I am happy to have it under control now.
So now you're going home next?
Yes, I will take a break for a week or a week and a half. After that, I will start fitness training again. I'll be back on the pitch at the end of November. However, there is still uncertainty about the tournament calendar for the coming season. In addition, it is not yet clear when to travel to Australia in order to follow appropriate quarantine regulations.
Thank you very much and good luck!