Jurij Rodionov in the tennisnet interview: "My goal is to establish myself in the top 100 in the world"
Jurij Rodionov can look back on a successful year 2020, winning two titles on the Challenger Tour in February. In an interview with tennisnet , the Austrian talks about neo-trainer Javier Frana, his long-term and short-term plans and how his knowledge of Russian Jannik Maden and Mats Moraing helped in Nur-Sultan.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Mar 27, 2020, 02:23 pm
tennisnet: You played your last tournament before the break in Nur-Sultan. There was an incident with German players like Jannik Maden, who had to leave early in order not to be put in quarantine. Have you had similar experiences in Kazakhstan?
Jurij Rodionov: In principle, they were the same. The problem with the German players was that their country along with Spain and France were classified as particularly strict. They have been informed that if they do not leave on Thursday, they will be quarantined on Friday. I told them that because I speak Russian relatively well. I got that and told them it was getting serious. You should call your consulate and ask what you should do. It was a little weird at the tournament because somehow nobody wanted to play. Everyone felt that something was wrong, that the tournament could be canceled at any time. It was a strange feeling as a tennis player, because normally you go to a tournament and want to play the tournament, go there to play as well as you can. It was a very strange and bizarre situation.
tennisnet: ATP has repeatedly been accused of poor communication in connection with the corona crisis - how have you experienced the exchange with ATP in the past few weeks?
Rodionov: It wasn't ideal because nobody at the tournaments, not the tournament director, not the supervisor, really knew what to do. So personally I didn't feel very good about playing this tournament. I didn't really have any security. I would have expected a little more communication, more emails from the ATP. But it's not an easy situation for them either. It is the first time that such a pandemic has broken out for them. In the end it wasn't that bad, because we all came home safe.
tennisnet: What is your training like at the moment ?
Rodionov: My training consists of endurance runs and stabilization training. I run every day and go through a stabilization program every day. That was actually it. I also try to keep an eye on my diet, maintain my weight.
tennisnet: Do you already know when you can train on the tennis court again?
Rodionov: Unfortunately I don't know. I think the official date at the moment is April 13th, which could be extended. I hope April 13th at the latest. The most important thing is that the corona virus does not spread any further. When the numbers decrease, you can keep looking.
That gives me a lot of confidence that I radiate on the pitch.
Jurij Rodionov
tennisnet: Last year you went under the supervision of Wolfgang Thiem. And since then it seems to be going really well for you again - what has changed specifically for you?
Rodionov: I have an ideal environment, I have very experienced people around me who can help me in many areas. I have great confidence in Wolfgang Thiem, Florian Pernhaupt, my athletic trainer, and Javier Frana, my touring coach. I have a very extensive team that gives me a lot of confidence, which I also exude on the pitch.
tennisnet:Javier Frana is also the name that is associated with her successes in February. How is the training with the Argentine?
Rodionov: I didn't actually train much with him because we were only on the road for three weeks. There was no time for individual training now. Where he helped me the most was in the mental area, how to go into the match, what to do and think in certain situations. He gave me a match plan, which I also carried out.
tennisnet: Javier Frana recently said in an interview that the job of a coach is to help the player find his identity. Have you already found yours?
Rodionov: I would say that it is a changing process. You are never at the top of your development, you can always develop, always improve. And it's the same with a player's identity. But of course Javier Frana is right. He also helped me show my playing style on the field and taught me what my strengths and weaknesses are. I am sure that I will train hard in the next few months and get even better.
tennisnet: Are you planning a long-term collaboration with Javier Frana?
Rodionov: Yes, it is planned in the longer term.
After the corona crisis, I want to play some ATP 250 events.
Jurij Rodionov
tennisnet: In February you didn't feel like you had a day off. Do you want to run this full tournament schedule all season?
Rodionov: When I flew to America, I didn't travel there with the expectation that I would win two Challenger and play a semi-final. That's why I just took every match, game and win with me. Now with the virus it's hard to say because any player won't be playing a tournament for over two months. So it would be planned that I would play many tournaments. I don't know yet whether there will really be four tournaments in a row. We have to wait until the season continues.
tennisnet: At the moment you were actually only on the Challenger Tour. Are you planning to jump on the ATP tour this year?
Rodionov: In any case, I had actually planned some qualifications for ATP-250 events in the tournament schedule after Nur-Sultan, unfortunately nothing came of it. After the corona crisis, I want to play some 250s - about 50:50, maybe a little more challenger.
tennisnet: Because of your jump in the ranking, it doesn't look bad for the qualification fields ...
Rodionov: Very well. Now I would be in almost every 250cc qualifier, you can build on that. And yes, I'm looking forward - like every tennis player - to playing tournaments again when the corona crisis is over. (laughs)
tennisnet:At the Davis Cup, you had to give up your individual, but you presented yourself in strong form against Pablo Cuevas. How important is success over Uruguay despite your individual defeat?
Rodionov: A big one, of course. Getting a win, especially at home in Premstätten, was very special. I have to say I'm not even that disappointed: I played great, brought an ex-top 20 player to the brink of defeat. The atmosphere was great, those were just great two days that everyone in the team really enjoyed. I am proud of the team.
Top 100 as a big goal
tennisnet:Immediately after your victory over Uruguay, it became known that there was an internal conflict with Wolfgang Thiem on ÖTV. Thiem is responsible for Dennis Novak, Sebastian Ofner, you and of course Dominic Thiem. Can you say at this point in time whether this conflict will affect the team that will compete in the Davis Cup finals?
Rodionov: I don't think it will have an impact. Where you train is one thing, but it has nothing to do with the Davis Cup. Because the Davis Cup is something very special, the Dennis (note: Dennis Novak) and the Ofi (Sebastian Ofner), they are always keen to play the Davis Cup. So I don't think it has any consequences for the Davis Cup.
tennisnet: In February you showed impressively that you can also beat top 100 players. What are your personal goals for your future career?
Rodionov: Definitely establishing myself in the top 100, playing good tennis for years, playing my game and just having fun. And maybe earn a little bit for the pension.
tennisnet: You said "to play good tennis": in February you presented yourself very strongly, how much room is there left?
Rodionov: I would say that there is always room for improvement - for every tennis player. Because otherwise there is no reason why we stand and train six hours a day. I definitely have room for improvement, but the level that I have shown over the past few months - especially in February - has been very good. That even surprised me a little, I have to say. After the break, I have to build on these achievements and results. But I will definitely give my all in the near future to make it happen.