Dominik Koepfer surprises himself: "Faith is growing slowly"
For a long time, Dominik Koepfer didn't know how well he could play tennis. After his run at the ATP Masters in Rome and winning the set against Novak Djokovic , he says: "I can keep up with the top players." Even on sand.
by SID
last edit: Sep 20, 2020, 03:44 pm
When Novak Djokovic's anger got to his head, Dominik Koepfer had long since exceeded his goals in Rome. Up until the Masters in the venerable Foro Italico, he hadn't achieved a single ATP win on clay, but now, after successfully qualifying and three successes in the main field, the sensation was within reach. Djokovic hacked his bat, Koepfer equalized in sentences and was suddenly in the middle of a match with a superstar in the industry.
Even if it wasn't enough to surprise the Serbian series winner, Koepfer felt himself to be the winner after the 3: 6, 6: 4, 3: 6. "The belief is growing slowly that I can keep up with the top people," he told SID before returning from Rome. The newly gained self-confidence was even enough for a small declaration of war: At the French Open (from September 27th), the highlight of the postponed clay court season, "I'll make some calculations," he assured me.
Up until his arrival in Rome Koepfer would have expressed himself differently, he has never been in the main draw of Paris, and after years in the USA he feels more at home on hard courts anyway. Koepfer, 26 years old, went on a professional tour through college, his career began at Tulane University in New Orleans, and he now lives in Tampa, Florida. Until Rome he didn’t know that he could perform so well on European clay courts.
Koepfer: Drew attention to yourself with the 2019 US Open round of 16
Last year Koepfer drew attention to himself for the first time on the big tennis stage when he made it to the round of 16 of the US Open, but his faith - and the world rankings - were not yet enough for the final jump on the ATP tour. Koepfer celebrated his premiere in the German Davis Cup team in March, but until then he played repeatedly on the second-rate Challenger tour.
"Now," he said before leaving Rome, "my goals have changed". Not first for Roland Garros, but before that for the home game at Rothenbaum in Hamburg, where he is right in the main field thanks to his performance in Italy. With the exception of the Challenger tournament in Heilbronn, Koepfer has no experience with professional tournaments in his native country, if he builds on his performance in Rome at the traditional tournament in the Hanseatic city, the top 50 in the world rankings will move closer.
For Hamburg, Koepfer relies on his increased self-confidence in sand and the support of his loved ones from the Black Forest, whom he rarely sees. 2,300 spectators are allowed on the Center Court. "I hope my family can come too," said Koepfer. If "after all that pasta in Rome" he finds a smart schnitzel like at home, Koepfer is well on the way to achieving all of his goals.