Interview with Günter Bresnik - "Alcaraz is a natural phenomenon"
Günter Bresnik can be satisfied with the start of the season for his protégés. In an interview with tennisnet, the star coach classified Carlos Alcaraz's potential, the right number of matches per year and Dominic Thiem 's performance.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 08, 2023, 12:13 pm
Günter Bresnik went to Munich to give a lecture at a tennis congress of the German Tennis Association (DTB). The conversation with tennisnet takes place in the restaurant of the congress hotel.
tennisnet : Mr. Bresnik: your protégé Dennis Novak started the tennis year by winning an ATP Challenger tournament in Thailand. Did you expect that?
Günter Bresnik : The preparation was definitely great. Physically, Dennis is in great shape. He lost four percent fat in preparation for Tenerife, which is a lot in such a short time. He has worked a lot with Dominik Distelberger, a decathlete. That's what I always preach: A decathlete has to do with running, jumping and throwing. Dennis was in a great mood after the month in Spain. And the choice to go to Thailand was good too. It is essential for Dennis that he plays a lot of matches. He is very good at playing. I was particularly happy with our performance in the semifinals against Escoffier.
tennisnet : Who else was in the training group on Tenerife?
Bresnik : Alexander Shevshenko and Lukas Neumayer, then Henri Squire and Jan-Lennard Struff. Plus Julia Grabher and Filip Misolic and a whole bunch of young players. We had a very good German-speaking group in which everyone got along well. And the conditions there are simply ideal.
tennisnet : Lukas Neumayer is about the same age as Carlos Alcaraz. Is it important for him to be patient?
Bresnik : For me: yes. I can't take a high-flyer like Alcaraz as a role model. Lukas has only been in Südstadt for two years, he was in the army for a year, then there was Corona for a year. The Alcaraz also had that. But in Spain the Corona period was easier because you could play outside most of the time. In any case, there are no miracles. And I hope that Lukas will have the necessary patience.
tennisnet : Julia Grabher won a round in Auckland, then lost to Leylah Fernandez. How do you see your development?
Bresnik : The win against Martincova was very good, the result against Fernandez sobering. However, the two played in the hall there. And she's not that far. And from my point of view, Fernandez has developed better than Emma Raducanu, against whom she lost the US Open final in 2021.
"In terms of play, Swiatek is a sensation"
tennisnet : By the way. Right or wrong: Emma Raducanu and Cori Gauff have to save women's tennis with their charisma.
Bresnik: Well, yes. I really like Iga Swiatek's tennis. As a personality, I have a problem with someone being surrounded by mental coaches and being a bit on a leash. But playfully, Swiatek is a sensation. I would also like a Sloane Stephens if she plays as well as she can. From a German perspective, I think a lot of Nastasja Schunk. But finding a transition after an era shaped by both Williams sisters, mind you, is incredibly difficult. Creating superstars like Serena or Venus doesn't work on the drawing board. With Carlos Alcaraz, a lot of things fit together: the big players fall out - and he starts right away with a Grand Slam victory. We'll see how he fares against Novak Djokovic. Or against Zverev and Thiem when they are in top form again.
tennisnet : You don't see anyone else among the men?
Bresnik : Carlos Alcaraz is again a natural phenomenon. And with women you have to say: How many mistakes can a person make in two years? Because Raducanu has changed coaches so many times, it's unimaginable. Even if it is difficult to judge the reasons from afar. But I know how important it is to know a player well and vice versa. Coach changes are changes, but rarely improvements. The conditions for becoming successful in tennis are predetermined.
"Safin, Becker, Sampras, Federer, Djokovic should not be measured by normal standards"
tennisnet : Now you get the impression that Carlos Alcaraz, who will unfortunately miss the Australian Open, will be slowed down a bit by coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in terms of assignments. How do you find the right level of matches?
Bresnik : My prime examples of the correct number of matches are John McEnroe and Roger Federer. In his prime, McEnroe played more than 80 singles matches. And on top of that, we also played doubles in almost every tournament. And mostly won. Nowadays, just over 60 is enough to be at the top. With Federer it was almost the same in the individual. At Alcaraz you have to see how he will cope with the win in New York. After that he didn't play so well. Players who win Grand Slam tournaments as teenagers need to be treated differently. Marat Safin, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic with his incredible physique - these are players who cannot be measured by normal standards.
tennisnet : So Ferrero fits Alcaraz?
Bresnik : I always have to understand origins and causes. As a coach, I always have to think: what leads to success with this player? If you want to compare Dominic Thiem with Carlos Alcaraz: Both are US Open winners. But the way to get there was completely different. Alcaraz is very well advised with Ferrero because he is one of the hardest workers. It didn't go so well with Zverev.
tennisnet : If you look at Dominic Thiem's career: There is a 1000 success in Indian Wells. Last year, however, with Pablo Carreno Busta, Borna Coric or Taylor Fritz, players in the Masters tournaments that Thiem had more or less under control struck. Was it more bad luck or an honor that Dominic had to compete with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in their best time?
Bresnik : Dominic has one thing ahead of the players mentioned: namely a Grand Slam title. And he was several times in the final of others. The consistency Dominic has played with since 2016, especially on clay, is also impressive to me. Top athletes always want to win. Dominic beat Federer, Djokovic, Nadal in their prime. Even in big tournaments. He beat Nadal for the first time in Buenos Aires and won against Federer on grass in the semifinals in Stuttgart. Those are the things that should be valued differently from my point of view.
tennisnet : Novak Djokovic is going into the Australian Open 2023 as a big favorite. Who, apart from Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev in top form - neither of whom have them - believes in it and also has the playful means to do a best-of-five against Djokovic -Match to win?
Bresnik : Rafael Nadal is certainly one of the players who are still active, but you don't know how good his physical shape is at the moment. Someone like Holger Rune, who just starts playing like that, certainly has what it takes. Otherwise you won't win a 1000 final against Djokovic. And I'm still crazy about the Shapovalov. He probably won't win a fifth set against Djokovic, but maybe in three or four. And I also know one thing: If Dominic gets to the quarter-finals in Melbourne and plays against Djokovic there, then he believes again that he can beat him.