Last year, Ofner’s participation in the final of the Challenger in Ilkley even earned him a wildcard for the main event. On Monday, Ofner will start his third major of the year against Aleksandar Vukic (AUS), the third match is scheduled to take place after 12:00 CEST.
Playing on grass suits the Styrian
A year later, Ofner missed out on his first title on the ATP Tour in Mallorca – read more in Ofner misses out on first ATP title in Mallorca, but he still managed to reach the finals at a higher level. And the 28-year-old Styrian, who reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2017 with a run of five wins from qualifying, showed once again during the week on the Balearic island that he is very good at playing on grass.
Ofner misses first ATP title in Mallorca
Sebastian Ofner did not manage to win his first title on the ATP Tour at the grass tournament in Mallorca. The 28-year-old Styrian had to admit defeat to the number four seeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the final on Saturday with 3:6 4:6 after 74 minutes.
Back in the top 50
With the final, Ofner also managed to return to the top 50. Before his eighth appearance in the main draw of a major tournament, the third at Church Road, Ofner didn’t have much time. He treated himself to a good meal and a beer on Saturday evening. On Sunday afternoon he flew to London and that evening he had an hour of training at Wimbledon. Not all grass is the same, as Ofner had already discovered in his previous season appearances in Stuttgart and Halle. The grass at Wimbledon is meticulously maintained and looked after, and that is not the only reason it is called “Holy Grass”.
“Small breakthrough”
“I had my first big success in my career on grass,” Austria’s best (and only at Wimbledon) singles player fondly recalls his run in 2017. Back then, as a qualifier, he had eliminated world number 18 Jack Sock (USA) in five sets in the second round, before Alexander Zverev became a stumbling block in the round of the last 32.
In any case, Ofner doesn’t have much time to enjoy his first tour-level final. “The first final is a small breakthrough. I’ve already played in a semifinal two or three times, the first time in a final is unbelievable. I was relatively far away from that this season,” he said, recalling his already somewhat mixed season before the French Open.
Focus on Wimbledon
Soon after the final, however, the focus was on the next highlight of the season. “The first match is in two days at Wimbledon. That is just as important because a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam,” said Ofner before leaving for England. Ofner is not unhappy with his draw. “I think it’s really okay, of course it could have been a lot worse and a lot better,” said the Styrian, and immediately gave the reason for it. “He plays really well on grass and hard courts and should be in good shape. He has now won a few matches on grass. It will definitely be an interesting match,” he said of Vukic.
If it turns out to be as interesting as this year’s round of 16 in Marrakesh, it could be a long match. Back then, Vukic won 7:6(11),2:6,7:6(7). Ofner had missed a match point and thus had a score to settle with the 81st ranked player in the world. “It’s obviously ‘best of five’, which is another small difference. We both serve really well. In Marrakesh, it was a tough, close match. If I play well, anything is possible.”
Alcaraz would most likely soon be opponent
Ofner is of course aware that if he wins he will most likely face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. “Above all, it would be really cool because I would be playing on the center court,” said Ofner, adding that this would be a first for him. “That would be really cool, he is one of the best players at the moment.”
Ofner gained enough self-confidence on Mallorca, which is the only tournament facility in the world with grass, sand and hard courts. “Absolutely. I feel good, I play well, so I think anything is possible.”
2024-06-30 09:28:50
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