Dominic Stricker after Challenger victory: "There are no longer easy laps for adults"
Dominic Stephan Stricker . Tennis fans can remember this name. At the age of 18 years and seven months, the Swiss won his first title on his second participation on the ATP Challenger Tour. In the final last Sunday in Lugano, Stricker defeated the Ukrainian qualifier Vitaliy Sachko 6: 4, 6: 2.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Mar 29, 2021, 11:21 am
With wins over Jay Clarke from Great Britain, Tim van Rijthoven from the Netherlands, the German Daniel Masur and the top seeded Yuichi Sugita from Japan (number 109 in the ATP world rankings), Stricker fought his way into the final of the indoor hard court tournament endowed with 44,820 euros .
Born in Münsingen from the canton of Bern, who had already caused a sensation at the junior level last year with his Grand Slam success at the Stade Roland-Garros and was named the 2020 young athlete in Switzerland, dominated the finals at home. Stricker took the serve from his opponent three times and served the match with his fifth ace after 70 minutes of play. 6,190 euros in prize money and 80 points for the ATP world rankings were the wages in the end.
We spoke to the teenager after he won the Challenger Città di Lugano tournament.
tennisnet: Congratulations on your first success on the Challenger Tour! What made the difference in the endgame?
Dominic Stricker: Thank you very much. I served very well all week and today I felt fine too and was solid off the baseline. I didn't feel like I made any mistakes. My opponent then began to quarrel a little and I was able to take advantage of it very well.
You started the tournament with a wildcard. Are you a little amazed at your own performance over the past seven days?
Yes, a bit. I would have thought that maybe I can win a round or two. To be the winner in the end is of course awesome. It means a lot to me and I will never forget this week. We are all very proud, but will continue to work hard to get a second title as soon as possible.
It was a week to survive some tough matches. What were the defining moments?
It was definitely an advantage that I got through the first lap relatively easily. In the second round, however, I had to fend off two match points. This has helped me. The semi-final win against Yuichi Sugita was also good for me. Overall, I felt very comfortable the entire week.
There were no spectators in Lugano. Did you find this a shame or did it perhaps even help you to play more freely?
It is now normal that there aren't that many people around. However, some were here and it created a little mood.
You started the tournament as number 874 in the ATP world rankings. According to the live ranking, winning the title will almost halve this. In the ATP Race to Turin you are currently placed in front of your well-known compatriots Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer. Where do you want to travel?
(laughs) Of course it's great that things have moved forward so quickly and I will continue to work hard to ensure that it continues like this. I am happy to be able to continue collecting points. Before the season started, my team and I set ourselves the goal of finishing in the top 500 by the end of the year. We'll probably be able to adjust that a bit now (laughs) . But let's see, I'll keep trying to get as far as possible.
Who is part of your team?
My coach is Sven Swinnen, my fitness trainer is Beni Linder. But that also includes Michael Lammer and the whole Swiss Tennis team, as well as my parents, of course. When I play in Switzerland, they also like to accompany me to tournaments. However, since I've been traveling abroad a lot lately, that doesn't always work out.
You won the junior competition in singles and doubles at the French Open last year. What are the main differences between the Junior Tour and the Pro Circuit?
The juniors still have one or two “easy laps”. This no longer exists in the adult sector. Here you have to give everything in every match. You have to work hard to win every point. Nothing is given to you anymore. It's a different story in your head, too, because you can't afford to go wrong any more. It's great to be on the Challenger Tour. The players are looked at, and the organization on site is very good.
How is Dominic Stricker off the pitch? Are there certain hobbies that you pursue?
Besides tennis, I really enjoy playing golf. That also helps me to switch off my head. I also support the Young Boys Bern football club.
Thank you for the impressions and good luck for the future.