– Point after point, Johan Nikles made it into the top 300
Quarter-finalist last week in Gran Canaria, the Genevan has just reached his best ATP ranking. The fruit of patience.
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Johan Nikles on clay, his favorite surface.
DR
This Monday morning, it was raining on Benidorm and the courts of the Ferrer Academy, but the morale of Johan Nikles (25 years old on March 23) was in good shape. In tennis, it’s the ATP ranking that makes the weather. To consult it gives wings or the cockroach. There, the Genevan plays on a small cloud. For the first time in his career, he is in the top 300.
“No, it’s not anecdotal. Another fifty places and the qualifications for the Grand Slams will be within my reach, ”says the number 298, quarter-finalist, last week, in Gran Canaria, where he won 16 points and 22 places. Is a Challenger worth more than a Davis Cup selection? That’s another question.
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“Last summer, I felt it was time to turn a corner. I went to Peru, a little on an adventure, and it was the click.
Johan Nikles, NO 298 at the ATP
One thing is certain, he has come a long way since his first ATP point in September 2014. And he has been patient since entering the top 500 in October 2019. Despite a few long slumps and the breath discouragement, Johan Nikles held on. “Last summer, I felt it was time to turn a corner. I went to Peru, a little on an adventure, and that was the trigger, ”he recalls, referring to his semi-final against Hugo Dellien in Quito.
Success, you have to know how to force it. Johan Nikles confirms this. “Playing the Challengers is a risk and an opportunity. The level of play is higher there than on the Futures circuit, but we earn more points and we make greater progress”, notes the player from TC Genève Eaux-Vives, more constant in his tennis and stronger in his head. than before the pandemic. The precious support of his parents and the help of a private sponsor helped him to manage the crisis.
