Emerging Talent: Joel Schwärzler Making Waves in Austrian Junior Tennis

Joel Schwärzler may have “only” won the Junior Grand Slam title he had hoped for at the French Open – his last appearance in the juniors – in the doubles and not in the singles as he had hoped, but there is still no doubt that the 18-year-old from Vorarlberg is currently Austria’s hottest prospect in junior tennis.

The young man from the Ländle is not only extremely talented, with Jürgen Melzer the youngster also has an experienced man at his side.

The now 43-year-old Lower Austrian was in the top 10 in both singles and doubles and reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2010.

As ÖTV sports director, he has been responsible for the further development of tennis in Austria for four years. An undertaking that has so far been successful for him – as confirmed by some rather critical minds.

Melzer relies on an extensive team

Isn’t it difficult to juggle these tasks as Schwärzler’s coach?

“No, I don’t think it will be a problem because we have designed our program in such a way that players can actually be looked after up to the age of 24 if necessary. That’s how the ÖTV concept is designed,” explains Melzer in an interview with LAOLA1.

“It’s clear that I can’t do it alone. I’m not going to do it now. We’re a relatively large team around him who look after him,” says Melzer, who can rely on the services of Brother Gerald Melzer, Philipp Gille, Lukas Jastraunig and Philipp Lang, among others.

ÖTV fitness coach Philipp Wessely is also heavily involved. “So I don’t think it will be a problem if I’m not there. Then someone else will come along. We all actually speak the same language and try to cover him as well as possible. I see that as our job.”

Challenger tournament victory with Gerald Melzer on site

The successes so far this season prove Melzer right. Schwärzler celebrated his first Challenger tournament victory in Skopje under the supervision of Gerald Melzer, who was able to provide important input on site: “Without him, I would probably have lost the first round,” said the Vorarlberg native at the time.

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“I played really badly there and he really helped me from the outside to stay with it and finally win the match. And in the quarterfinals I was behind and my opponent played better. Without Gerald I might have lost the match in two sets, probably. He had a very positive influence the whole time, even though I was upset. That was really cool of him and it worked out really well. I am extremely grateful to him.”

Season goal almost reached

Thanks to the Challenger title, Schwärzler stormed into the top 400 surprisingly quickly. According to Jürgen Melzer, the goal for the season was to reach the top 350, a goal that is now within reach before the end of the first half of the year.

In the coming months, in addition to seven Challenger tournaments, he also plans to take part in the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, where he will be able to compete in the main draw of an ATP tournament for the first time thanks to a wild card.

The biggest advantage of the ranking jump: Schwärzler doesn’t have to work hard to climb the world rankings at Future level, but can now concentrate fully on the Challenger events. But it’s also important not to let expectations get too high.

“You have to put it all into perspective,” said Melzer. “He’s good and has now won his first Challenger. The next few weeks will show how far he has come and how much he can really win at Challenger level. You can’t assume that he’ll win every Challenger. If he finishes the year at 250 or 270, I’ll be happy.”

Playful and physical development necessary

The highest priority is, of course, the player’s continued development. Melzer knows from experience that young players would prefer to play a tournament every week.

“There are many things that need to be improved and we need these weeks of training. He also needs to have the right attitude and be willing to work. That’s where the team comes in.”

Schwärzler’s forehand is already particularly impressive. Such speed definitely sets him apart from other players. In general, he has a very fast game. If the conditions are such that the ball is perhaps a little faster, the spin is well received and he can control it, that is really fast.”

“He has to learn to use the power he has properly. And that maybe 80 percent of his swing is enough, because that is probably just as fast as 100 percent for someone else. This youthful urge to ‘fire’ into the corners, we have to work on that so that it becomes more solid. And it is not so dependent on the mood of the day, but the basic basis simply improves,” says Melzer.

“Armor for the body”

The 1.89 meter tall left-hander also needs to work on his body. He needs to gain strength in both his thighs and his back to make his body more stable.

“If you can accelerate like that, you have to arm your body so that you can do it without injury. That puts a lot of pressure on the joints, which have to withstand that,” said Melzer. “But he knows that too, and we’re working on it.”

Next week, Schwärzler will compete in the Challenger tournament in Milan. After that, he will compete in the Austrian National Championships in Oberpullendorf before heading to Salzburg for the next Challenger event.

This will be followed by the ATP debut in Kitzbühel and two more Challengers abroad, before returning to Austria for the Challenger tournament in Tulln an der Donau in the first week of September.

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2024-06-18 21:29:19
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