Wimbledon 2022: Interview with Jürgen Melzer - "These memories will last forever"
Jürgen Melzer will take part in the legends tournament in Wimbledon 2022 alongside Gilles Muller. This is where the Austrian tennis legend won three titles.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Jul 05, 2022, 08:54 pm
Jürgen Melzer is back at Wimbledon. As an active player, even if "only" in the legends tournament. There the current sports director of the Austrian Tennis Association will go into the Bütt with Gilles Muller, a connection between two left-handers who understand the game on grass very well.
Irrespective of that, Melzer looks so fit that he could still win a few rounds in the regular doubles competition. In conversation, the 41-year-old reveals how pleased he is to return to the place that has brought him memorable successes over the years.
tennisnet : Mr. Melzer. I just addressed Bob Bryan as "Mike".
Jürgen Melzer : It only happened to me at the beginning. there are quite a few features that can be used to tell the two apart.
tennisnet : You are back in Wimbledon. But not alongside Philipp Petzschner. And not in men's doubles, but in the legends ...
Melzer : This idea no longer exists on the normal tour. But if Philipp is also invited to this invitational, then maybe we'll play together again here.
tennisnet : You won the juniors here, doubles with Philipp Petzschner and mixed with Iveta Benesova. Does a memory stand out?
Melzer : In general, my tennis career started here with the victory in the juniors in 1999. I'm always happy to come back here, even if there have been bitter defeats. The cool feeling prevails, the whole tradition is incredibly fun.
Melzer with Petzschner 2010 to the title
tennisnet : However, the conditions have also changed massively since that victory.
Melzer : I definitely liked 1999 better. The flatter and faster it was, the more it suited me. Moving on grass is always something special. Once you figure that out for yourself, you have an advantage.
tennisnet : Are there any special memories of the run for the double title in 2010?
Melzer : We had a very close match against Aspelin and Hanley in round two, that was a first indicator because they were the seeded on our branch. The game was very close, we won in four sets. But the two weeks were generally very special. This year I also reached the round of 16 in singles, where I lost to Roger Federer. Living together with Philipp in our house - these memories will last forever.
tennisnet : You had the best chance of a really deep run in singles in 2013 - when it went against Jerzy Janowicz in the round of 16.
Melzer : I would have played a quarter-final against Lukasz Kubot afterwards. That was a huge opportunity. I lost 4-6 in the fifth set against Janowicz but felt like I was the better player. Jerzy somehow stayed in the match with his serve. And I got a stupid break in the fifth set. This is a defeat that still hurts when you look back on your career.
tennisnet : Martina Hingis is right next to us, one of the best players of all time, also very successful in mixed doubles. How do you set it up successfully?
Melzer : In the past, some players certainly played on the women at the beginning of the match, simply to gain respect. When a Nenad Zimjonic like that released a return, it was scary. But the year that Iveta and I won, we were just a really well matched doubles team where everyone covered their sides well.
"Kyrgios would have been sent off"
tennisnet : In the current men's individual tournament, there is a final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. At the beginning of the year, would you have thought it possible that Nadal would have such a strong season again?
Melzer: Rafa should never be written off. When he's in place and fit, he's definitely good enough to win every match. He has also shown in the past that he can come back successfully after long breaks. Rafa can adapt extremely well and adapt to all circumstances. But I do believe that he still has to improve for the title here.
tennisnet: The big excitement of the first week was the match between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas. your opinion on this?
Melzer : If you don't manage to hide Kyrgios on the other side, what happened to Tsitsipas can happen. Of course it's uncomfortable at times, and Kyrgios always pushes the limits. It's good and bad for tennis: when Nick is in control, it's good. Because he plays very attractive tennis, pulls people along, fills stadiums. If he crosses the line, it's the other way around in terms of role modeling. But also that Tsitsipas shot the ball into the audience - that's not possible. If Kyrgios had done that, he would have been thrown off the field.
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