Tennis U-16 European Championship: ÖTV sports director Jürgen Melzer hopes for Joel Schwärzler's cream day
Joel Schwärzler has qualified for the final of the U-16 European Championship in Prerov. There, however, the young Austrian competes as an outsider, as ÖTV sports director Jürgen Melzer knows. Schwärzler still has a chance of winning.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jul 23, 2022, 09:23 pm
Outstanding results in youth by no means guarantee success in men's tennis. But if a teenager shows up internationally, then you can build up a little tension. As with Joel Schwärzler, who earned a place in the final of the U-16 European Championship with consistently superior performances.
"Joel has been with us in Südstadt for exactly one year now," explains ÖTV sports director Jürgen Melzer, who accompanies Schwärzler, to tennisnet. "Joel is left-handed and plays very aggressively. He can play a lot of pressure with his forehand with a lot of spin, but he can also make the ball really fast.” In the youth world rankings this year, the 16-year-old has worked his way up to the top 100.
Melzer believes in a chance to win
Schwärzler has played really well at the U16 European Championship, which is being held in Prerov in the Czech Republic, Melzer continues. The young Austrian, seeded fifth, defeated Rafael Segado Esteve from Spain safely in two sets after a bye, followed by Max Stenzer from Germany and, with a little more effort, Luca Preda from Romania. Schwaerzler also kept a clean sheet in the quarterfinals against Andreas Timini. He delivered the previous masterpiece on Saturday in the semifinals against the Italian Federico Cina, number two of the tournament.
But now the top favorite, Martin Landaluce from Spain, is waiting in the final. Jürgen Melzer knows about the difficult task that his protégé has to face. “Joel is the clear outsider in the final. Landaluce is number eight in the U-18 world rankings and has an incredibly good record on the ITF tour. If Joel is playing his best tennis, he has a chance. The match will definitely be an important indicator. Mainly because it's the same vintage.”
As is well known, Jürgen Melzer himself has proven that outstanding results in the junior area are not an obstacle to a great career.