"Bring home with all my will" - Filip Misolic happy after his first professional title
With Filip Misolic , a young talent in Austrian men's tennis has won his first professional tennis title. The 19-year-old Styrian won last Sunday in Porec , the first of a total of three ITF World Tennis Tour events as part of the so-called Istarska Rivijera.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Mar 16, 2021, 09:21 am
Croatia's oldest international tournament series traditionally heralds the European clay court season and Misolic felt very much at home in Istria despite the sometimes somewhat cool temperatures.
“The most important match took place in the second round against Martin Damm. There I had to fend off two match points and I was able to regain confidence. From then on I played well, ”says Misolic in the current episode of the tennis podcast Challenger Corner . In the end, the Austrian was able to prevail in three sets against the 17-year-old American, who is currently number 3 in the ITF junior world rankings.
“We had never played against each other before. However, I knew what was in store for me and that he was a really good player. "
With further successes over Pavel Nejedly from the Czech Republic and Alex Rybakov from the United States, Misolic finally moved into the final. There he defeated the Italian Pietro Rondoni 6: 4, 6: 4. The external circumstances were not always easy. Almost the entire second set took place in the constant drizzle on the center court of the Tennis Centar Pical.
Nervousness in the endgame
“The pitches were slippery, but the conditions suited me better than my opponent. I felt very comfortable on the court ”, Misolic was not impressed.
With two breaks he was already ahead in the second round, but could only serve the match in the second attempt.
"I was very nervous," the teenager admitted. “You're already thinking about winning the title and hoping not to beat it up after taking the lead. In the last game I wanted to bring it home with all my will. "
Misolic, who was ranked 954th in the ATP world rankings before the start of the tournament, made it into the main field with the help of a wildcard. Born in Graz, with Croatian parents, he works in the league for the tennis club Top Spin in Zagreb. Its club owner Branimir Horvat is also the tournament director and organizer of the three-week clay court swing in Istria.
Misolic already in December 2020 with a final
However, the form curve shows Misolics, who describes the backhand as his strongest weapon, even without a tournament invitation. In December last year he reached his first final on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Antalya, Turkey, after a tough battle through qualification. Misolic had to give up against the Danish shooting star Holger Rune.
“It was my eighth match there and I had to beat a lot of good players on the way to the final. Unfortunately, in the end I wasn't quite fit anymore. "
In times of the pandemic, travel is also made more difficult for the actors of the traveling circus. “It's all a little difficult,” said Misolic. “You need a corresponding test for each country and everything has to be well prepared. Once in Greece I had problems and finally couldn't enter. "
Between Austria and Croatia
Change of location seems to be a constant companion for Misolic, who likes to watch action films and comedies in his spare time. "One and a half years ago I was in Vienna at Günter Bresnik's tennis academy, but am currently living in Zagreb again," he said, a basketball fan of Utah Jazz.
Dominic Thiem acts as a role model, of course, whose game he was allowed to watch in some training sessions in the performance center in the south of the city. "Seeing him in the finals of the big tournaments is of course motivating," said Misolic.
On the trail of the stars
Even if a training session with the reigning US Open champion has not yet ended, contacts to other Austrian tennis cracks are definitely available. With Dennis Novak and the Melzer brothers, he is part of the ATV Irdning Bundesliga team. “I have already been used in the 1st team twice. That was an unbelievable experience ”, enthuses Misolic, who was named ÖTV Young Player of the Year at the Erste Bank Open in the Wiener Stadthalle two years ago.
The next step is to establish yourself on the Pro-Circuit. "I would like to be among the top 500 in the world soon so that I can play Challenger tournaments," is the aim of the young Austrian. With the success in Porec a first milestone has been reached and the entry into the first 800 of the ATP world rankings has already taken place.