There are thirteen of them. Thirteen Belgians have competed since Tuesday in the main draw of the very first edition of the Brussels Open. Among them, some great hopes of our tennis such as Gilles-Arnaud Bailly, Niels Ratiu, Jack Logé and Emilien Demanet.
The last named, 785th in the world in the ATP ranking, did not go far from the most beautiful victory of his young career, losing on the Center Court in three sets (6-2, 6-7, 6-3) against to the Dutchman Guy Den Ouden (ATP 336). “I’m quite disappointed because I ran out of juice,” he explains to us on one of the terraces of the Royal Léopold Club in Uccle, where this $25,000 tournament is being held. Physically, with the heat, I gave up a little towards the end. I don’t know, it’s like I had a little sunstroke. At the start of the game, I also made too many mistakes but I held on and played better afterwards. In the decisive round, I even led two games to zero. So there is disappointment, but I also know that there are positives to take away from my performance.”
It’s true, Emilien Demanet was not unworthy. For nearly 3 hours 20 minutes, he held the exchange against a much more experienced opponent. Under a blazing sun, with the thermometer showing more than 30 degrees, the difference in ranking between the two protagonists was not really visible. Enough to keep the 19-year-old player confident for the final months of his first season as a professional. “So far, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve come up with. But I’m never really 100% satisfied with myself because there are always things to work on, analyzes the person concerned. I hope to achieve some good results between now and the end of the year, in order to get closer to the top 550 and why not start qualifying on the Challenger circuit (Editor’s note: division 2 of tennis, so to speak). I only need about fifty points to achieve it, it’s achievable but we’ll see what the future has in store for me.”
guillement
I had offers to go to the United States
Member of the Pro Team of the French-speaking tennis federation, the Wépionnais is coached by Ananda Vandendoren. And can count on the support of Steve Darcis, who takes care of Liégeois Raphaël Collignon and Gauthier Onclin. “Everything is going very well with them. I really enjoy talking with Steve, especially regarding his experience as a former player. I take all the good things these two people can give me.”
Resident of RTC Liège, with whom he competes in the interclubs in Gentlemen 1, Emilien Demanet could very well have taken the road to the United States after his rheto. Like Niels Ratiu, whom he knew in the federation’s youth teams and who left to combine the little yellow ball and studies with the Georgia Bulldogs. “I never considered following this path, but I had offers. Some of which were very good. Simply, I find that the Pro Team constitutes the best support for me in Belgium and I preferred to stay,” he concludes.
By remaining loyal to his team, Emilien Demanet has the opportunity to prove that success can be cultivated at home.
“Djokovic is my idol”
2024-06-26 08:34:00
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