Tennis in Austria

Bresnik : “A Thiem is not in sight at the moment”

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/AL BELLO)

Dominic Thiem says goodbye in Vienna, Sebastian Ofner will not play again until 2025 due to heel surgery. Austria's number 1 is currently the only ÖTV player in the top 200 in 58th place. The Styrian will return to the tour at the Australian Open in January, but certainly not as a top 100 player. Tennis coach Günter Bresnik remains optimistic, but does not yet see a new Dominic Thiem.

Ofner will lose almost 400 points by January 6 alone, but at least he can start again with a "protected ranking". And what is the current situation behind him? The red-white-red tennis fans will have to be patient. In the world rankings before the US Open, only Ofner was in the top 200 in the men's singles. Currently, Yuri Rodionov has worked his way back into this circle with (at least) a quarter-final at the Challenger in Cassis in the live ranking (194th).

Sebastian Ofner

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Filip Misolic was already on course for the top 100 as number 126 in April 2023, but the 23-year-old Styrian has fallen back to 224th place. Dennis Novak (31), who has been set back by several injuries, is ranked 238th. So a lot has to happen for Austrians to regularly play in the main draw on the ATP Tour.

"Life is not a concert of wishes"
At the home Challenger in Tulln, only Lukas Neumayer made it to the quarter-finals with two wins, while the 18-year-old giant Joel Schwärzler was unable to take his chances in the first round.

Jürgen Melzer, ÖTV sports director and Schwärzler coach in one, takes a relaxed view of the situation in the APA interview. "Life is not a concert of wishes. Tennis as a world sport is a tough sport. Of course it's stupid that Ofi is injured. Dennis (Novak, note) was also injured, otherwise he would be further up the rankings. But of course we have players who have moved further down the rankings."

That happens again and again. "We still have potential, they're still young and can play their way up again. Jurij has won two matches again, Miso (Misolic) is a bit of a dog in the manger," explained Melzer.

Hopes rest on Schwärzler
Melzer is of course aware that all eyes in Austria are on his 18-year-old protégé Joel Schwärzler. After the surprise Challenger title in Skopje, things have not gone well for the Vorarlberg native at this level. "The jump to Challenger level is simply something else. As soon as he has an idle, he is punished. That's the huge difference to junior tennis, where he was probably the better player in 98 percent of the matches and juniors don't exploit idle time quite as much." Lack of consistency, reliably maintaining a level, that's what Schwärzler is currently lacking.

Joel Schwärzler

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer/Kronenzeitung)

Schwärzler earned eight wildcards for Challenger thanks to his junior ranking (he climbed to first place) and still has two left. "It won't be easy to use them because there's only one real one left on clay that he can take," reveals Melzer, who is also Davis Cup captain and is also taking Schwärzler with him to Styria. If he performs well in training, an appearance is not out of the question. "After Bad Waltersdorf there will be a week of training, then three or four more tournaments this year."

Melzer does not necessarily see Schwärzler taking the step back to future level in order to gain self-confidence. "He sees himself as a Challenger player, so you have a lot more pressure to win at the Futures." Melzer also sees the rough diamond at this level. "He definitely has the level if he plays well. But it wouldn't do him any harm if he won a future once."

Flashes of potential
Melzer didn't want to say much about Schwärzler's lack of attitude in training. "I'll clarify that with him. He has to learn to work harder, of course." Schwärzler is not concerned about Thiem's withdrawal or Ofner's injury. "Rather the expectations he has of himself, which of course also come from outside. When you were a junior number one, you hope that will come through. It was clear to me as a coach that this wouldn't happen."

In his day-to-day work, Melzer still sees his protégé as "a long way away from winning four Challengers in a row. You have to be that realistic." Nevertheless, the great potential flashes up again and again.

Neumayer is also taking part in the Davis Cup. "Luki played superbly in the first two rounds. For me, he is someone who works so hard. He has top intensity on the court."

Where is the "new" Thiem?
Neumayer's coach Günter Bresnik was far more critical in Tulln. "He's still playing much worse than in training, I think he returns too far back, consistently." He also needs to work on his pace on the serve. "There is certainly also a lack of power," Bresnik said in the APA interview. Immediately after Kitzbühel, work was stepped up in this regard. "He is superbly trained in terms of discipline and work ethic, but physically he has had a lot of catching up to do." This has also been the case since the signing of ex-decathlete Dominik Distelberger. "You could see how his body has changed."

Günter Bresnik

(Bild: GEPA)

Bresnik's view of the tennis future after Thiem? "There's no Thiem in sight at the moment." And Schwärzler? "I'm not saying he can't go there." But Thiem has won a Grand Slam tournament. "Even more impressive was his long time in the top ten and his successes against the really big names."

Bresnik believes that Schwärzler will make it into the top 100 in the next year or two. "If Neumayer is still there in two years' time", things won't look too bad.

Bresnik also says he trains with Schwärzler very often. "Whenever Jürgen isn't there, he trains with me. He's a really nice guy, you want him to win something because he's simply good for the sport. He's got a great personality, he's likeable and has an attractive game. You can only give him all the support you can."