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![Dominic Stricker surprises everyone with his quarter-finals in Geneva.]()
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Dominic Stricker surprises everyone with his quarter-finals in Geneva.
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![There is also applause from the maestro.]()
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There is also applause from the maestro.
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![Stricker went into his first ATP tournament without great expectations.]()
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Stricker went into his first ATP tournament without great expectations.
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![Now Stricker takes a short break.]()
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Now Stricker takes a short break.
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It should have been Roger Federer’s big week in Geneva. Instead, it will be Dominic Stricker’s week. In his first ever ATP tournament, the 18-year-old beats two top 50 players and makes it to the quarter-finals.
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The premiere is not under the best omens: Stricker’s coach Sven Swinnen falls ill with Covid-19 for the second time before the tournament and has to be in isolation. In his place, Kai Stentenbach accompanies the debutante to Geneva. A very good solution, as Stricker says.
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Cooler than a Grand Slam winner
In the draw he then got a real chunk with the former US Open winner Marin Cilic in the first round. “I actually didn’t have any great expectations before the tournament,” says Stricker.
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Due to rain, the premiere will be postponed from Monday to Tuesday. Stricker wins in two sets and leaves a cooler impression than the 14-year-old Croatian. “It was exciting to run into the square. But I only got a little nervous towards the end of the sentences. ” He will particularly remember the match ball for his first ATP victory, which he uses with a service winner.
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Only hours later, Federer loses on his comeback on clay. The dream of a Swiss quarter-final duel has burst. “Afterwards we saw each other on the layout and exchanged ideas. But actually everyone has their own program during a tournament like this », says Stricker about the 20-time Grand Slam winner, whom he knows very well from the joint training sessions in Dubai. He took one of Federer’s tips to heart: “I worked a lot on the serve. It’s a good weapon, but it has to be more consistent. “
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As the only remaining Swiss, the Bernese is suddenly in the spotlight in Geneva, but that doesn’t bother him: “At an ATP tournament everything is bigger than I was used to. I can also enjoy the hype. ” Up to now he has not felt any fear that everything could become too much.
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But when Stricker eliminated the next seasoned professional with Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday, the question arises all the more how good this Dominic Stricker is and can still become. “I don’t know for sure either. But it’s motivating to see that I can keep up at this level. ” As of Monday, Stricker will be number 334 in the ranking. To qualify for a Grand Slam, he would have to move into the range between 200 and 250th place.
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Challenger instead of Grand Slam
The hoped-for wildcard for the qualification of the French Open, which he won in the juniors last year, is missing. Stricker takes it easy. Thanks to the improved ranking, he can now regularly qualify at Challenger tournaments.
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Where exactly it will continue is still open. The ITF tournament in Bosnia planned for next week has been canceled by Stricker. Body and mind should be given a break. “I still haven’t fully understood what I’ve achieved,” says the teenager, looking back on his week.
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video-wrapper video-wrapper--inline">How good is the tennis gem? “Stricker is the right man at the right time”(03:06)
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video-wrapper video-wrapper--inline">Out in the Geneva quarter-finals: This return winner ends the knitting fairy tale(00:32)
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