Jérôme Kym gets a taste of it in the Swiss interior

The service? Fall. The power? impressive. The height, which prevented him from participating as a ball boy for the second time at the Swiss Indoors as a youth, is an advantage for him as a player. And the self-confidence? This is evident in it, as are the high intentions.

We are not talking about Dominic Stricker or Leandro Riedi, who played in the junior final at the French Open in 2020, but about Jérôme Kym, who is a year younger and probably in the strongest form of the players Swiss tennis a few months ago. The 1.98m tall talent from Möhlin has won two Challenger and two ITF tournaments this year. In the world ranking, the Fricktaler, who, like Roger Federer, has surpassed the TC Old Boys Basel, has improved from 444th place to 140th this year.

The recent successes are no coincidence. For Swiss tennis authority Heinz Günthardt, Kym was one of the biggest talents in the world at the age of 15. In 2017 he became the U14 world champion with the Swiss team, making the defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Before his 16th birthday, he made his debut against Estonia in 2019 with a win for Switzerland in the Davis Cup.

Top 100, sooner rather than later

The lofty goals coincide with the prospects: “I want to be in the top 100 and I strongly believe that I can do it this year,” Kym said on Monday after the narrow case against Ugo Humbert (ATP 16) in Switzerland, his first match in the main draw of the ATP tournament.

The frustration of the loss and the decisive break to 5:7 in the third set against his first opponent from the top 50 in the world ranking is still written on his face half an hour after the match. «It is difficult at the moment. I need a few more hours to be able to study the game in peace,” he says. Only afterwards does he say: “Even though I lost, I’m very proud how I handled the situation. I’m really holding up and winning a set. I’m really disappointed now, but when I see where I was five or six months ago, yes I will be happy.”

You learn the most from influences like this, says Kym. The game also shows him that the gap to the best is no longer great. “I’m number 140, he’s 16, but I’m totally involved. I know now that I am close to being able to beat players like that.”

Through tours

To get to the gate of the top 100 tennis players in the world, Kym had to take a journey. Physical problems have been slower lately. In October 2022, Kym competed in the Swiss Indoors qualification for the first time. He lost to Slovakia’s Laszlo Djere after leading 6-1, 5-1, and as it happened, that was his last match for a while. Problems with the patellar tendon and misalignment of the left knee put him out of action.

In March 2023, Kym achieved a perfect comeback in Trento, Italy, with his first victory in an ITF tournament. But three months later the next stoppage followed due to renewed inflammation of the patellar tendon. The result: knee function and a longer rehabilitation phase.

So now there is a strong first match in the main draw of the ATP tournament, but no reward with victory. And the idea that Jérôme Kym can be expected to participate in ATP tournaments regularly sooner rather than later. If the body does not remove more way.