Sebastian Ofner - "Sinner did an incredible job"
While Dominic Thiem rides the ATP finals in London's O2 arena, another Austrian is making headlines in snowy Val Gardena in South Tyrol. Sebastian Ofner has reached the endgame at Sparkasse Challenger Val Gardena South Tyrol. There, the reigning next-gen ATP final champion and local superstar of the tournament is waiting for him with Jannik Sinner.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Nov 16, 2019, 05:39 pm
By Florian Heer from Ortisei
Ofner defeated strong Italian Luca Vanni on Saturday afternoon in two tie-breaks 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). The number 10 placed Austrian beat 19 aces on the fast floor of the tennis club Ortisei, but had to fend off eight breakballs and was wide awake in the crucial moments. After an hour and 42 minutes Ofner left the place as the winner. Following his triumph at the ATP Challenger in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in early May, the current number 173 of the ATP world rankings now reaches its second final of the season.
We met with Ofner after the success in the semi-finals for the interview.
tennisnet: Congratulations to the victory. What made the difference today?
Sebastian Ofner: Luca served really fast and placed and I had problems reading his serve. In addition, I have sometimes made life difficult for myself with my own serve. But I played the two tie-breaks really well. I was very focused and returned well. I am very satisfied with that.
The week is going really well here. They moved into the semifinals with victories over Francesco Forti, Dennis Novak and Lorenzo Musetti. Are the conditions in Ortisei good for your game?
Definitely. My serve gives me advantages. However, I've been playing better overall lately, even though I lost to a strong Dennis Novak last week. I am very satisfied with the week here and hope to be able to build on that in the coming year.
If you let this season pass. How is your conclusion for 2019?
At the beginning of the year, I played okay. I have reached quarter and semi-finals and have also won an ATP Challenger title. Suddenly it's demolished in the summer. I lost a lot of close sets and matches until it started to tug on my nerves. I have to try to be more consistent at my level next year and be more focused in those tight situations. This is going very well here at this tournament. If I can play that consistently over a season, I'm sure I can take another step forward and get closer to the top 100 again.
Is it possible to simulate these mentioned situations in training?
Not really, but if you have enough confidence and security in the punches, then it comes automatically. When I start to quarrel during a bad run, my punches partially break away. This should not be the case and I will work hard on that in the coming months. The feeling is that I can not make mistakes in the beating.
Can you please update us regarding your training situation?
When Wolfgang Thiem left the Bresnik Academy, Dennis and I went along. So we both train at Wolfgang. Günter is still my manager. I have no problem and also on the court the players get nothing. This is very good and you can concentrate on the tennis.
To what extent are you in contact during the tournaments?
With Wolfgang I call regularly after my matches or because of time differences every other or third day. Since Kitzbühel I travel frequently with Alexander Peya, who has accompanied me on some tournaments. I liked that very much. He knows and sees a lot to improve my game. However, he wants to play full again next year and use his very good protected ranking. Then we will see how it goes on. But we both have contact after each match and give me good tips. That suits very well at the moment.
Tennis in Austria seems to be on the rise again thanks to good performances and results. Do you guys feel that too?
Of course, yes! First and foremost, of course, by Dominic, who plays an incredible year. Dennis is on the top 100 again. I hope next year. You can tell that more tennis enthusiasm prevails again. Thanks to the transmissions on Servus TV, more people are watching. Tennis is doing really well again in Austria.
The only thing missing is Challenger tournaments.
There have been discussions about Challenger. Then it has been discarded again. I do not expect any Challenger tournaments in Austria in the near future. Unfortunately. It would be cool if we had Challenger with us. These would be very easy for us to reach and the venues would be great. It is a pity.
A first highlight of the new year will be the ATP Cup. Austria is qualified. How big is the anticipation for the new event?
This is sure to be a mega-event. Dominic, Dennis, Oliver March, Jürgen Melzer and I know each other very well and get along great. There will be no problems and I am looking forward to a few great weeks.
Do you already have plans how to design the off-season?
I'll stay home, maybe do something with friends for a day or two. On December 2, preparation for Australia begins in Vienna.
Before that, however, there is still the final here in Ortisei against Jannik Sinner.
What Sinner did at the age of 18 this season is incredible. We once worked together in the Wiener Stadthalle. I'm looking forward to a full hall with a great atmosphere.
Thank you and good luck.