Mats Merkel - "Dominic Thiem is the showcase model"
As an Adidas coach and scout, Mats Merkel knows the tennis circuit from the inside out. In an interview with tennisnet.com, Merkel remembers special days in Paris, assesses Sebastian Korda's performance and still sees potential at Thiem , Zverev , Tsitsipas and Co ..
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 14, 2021, 08:25 am
tennisnet : Mr. Merkel. On New Year's Day, the documentary about Bastian Schweinsteiger ran on ARD. In one setting at the 2015 French Open, you were seen coaching Ana Ivanovic. What memories do you associate with these days?
Mats Merkel : That was one of my nicest experiences on the tour. Definitely a highlight to be able to spend time and exchange ideas with a world star like Bastian Schweinsteiger. About how success in football works. And that there are many parallels in all sports.
tennisnet : How was the first encounter?
Merkel : That was really funny. Ana played the first round, lost the first set, won the second. And Basti came to the third movement and landed by helicopter near Roland Garros. Then you're in the middle of the match - and as a coach, you can't make you social at that moment. I just greeted him and said that we could chat after the match. “Yes, of course,” sat down and cheered Ana. I wouldn't call the whole tournament a summer fairy tale, but the Paris fairy tale. Because Ana was better than the last 16 in 2008. It was really cool that we then made it to the semi-finals.
tennisnet : From a distance it looked as if two very nice people had really found each other.
Merkel : Yes, totally. The two go well together. We often dined together, and Basti was also present at the match meetings. We “huddled” before the games and one of them gave a short motivational speech. On our days off we always trained at the Paris Racing Club, on this beautiful facility in the middle of the woods on the Bois de Boulogne. Working with Ana before and at Wimbledon was also great. And then Basti proposed to her - and things took their course.
tennisnet : Hard cut to current tennis events. Marta Kostyuk, a player she has been watching for a long time, has found her way back on track after a difficult phase. What are you up to?
Merkel : The world of tennis has changed over the past few years and, of course, is still doing so now due to the influence of Corona. I notice that the young players have a completely different relationship to money. When someone emerges from the ashes like the Phoenix and receives prizes and bonuses, those sums can quickly become confusing. I don't know exactly how it was with Marta now. She also had some physical problems. There is a big difference between being out and about as a teenager, playing successfully and having fun, or being thrown into the deep end as an 18-year-old. Marta has always been a great athlete. And she worked extremely hard in the offseason. Marta has the same fitness trainer as Stefanos Tsitsipas. He's in Monte Carlo and does it great. Marta has every playful opportunity, if her head is clear, she can easily be in the top 20.
"Neither Djokovic or Nadal will win three of the four slams in 2021"
tennisnet : Another youngster is currently mixing up the field in Delray Beach: Sebastian Korda. Our remote diagnosis: very solid player without outstanding weapons.
Merkel : Being solid is a weapon. That's what separates the really good players from the average ones: At a higher speed they still make far fewer mistakes than the average. It doesn't matter whether you play Sebastian on the forehand or the backhand. At the beginning of a rally he is probably very far behind, but he has a great length, plays very smart, and sometimes moves forward. He moves great for his size. Everything on the tour is new to him. It's fun to watch it develop. He's certainly learning a lot from his dad, but Sebastian also has good mentors. He was with Andre Agassi in Las Vegas and worked a lot with Christian Groh. For young players in America there is almost no better coach than Chris.
tennisnet : Another outlook for 2021. Which player from the generation around Thiem, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev still has the greatest development potential?
Merkel : Dominic is the absolute showpiece model because it is constantly developing. I am impressed by how he got out of the Corona era and won the US Open. It's a shame that he didn't crown the year with a victory at the ATP Finals. I would have totally indulged him. Sascha Zverev has a lot of construction sites, but great potential. It starts with his serve. If he can get this under control and improve it, he will be able to position himself completely differently when it comes to structuring points. Stefanos Tsitsipas played rather average for his standards in 2020. But I'm still excited about all the guys. For me there are also Félix Auger-Aliassime , Grigor Dimitrov and Denis Shapovalov . They are all far from finished. Dominic also has reserves for how he can improve. He knows that too. And I'm impressed how the guys keep sitting down and brooding over how they can get better.
tennisnet : What do you expect for 2021?
Merkel: It will be a very interesting year. If all four Grand Slams can be played regularly, I'll lean out the window and say that three of the four won't be won by Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal .