Interview with Dominic Stricker: "I'll do everything to be where he is one day"
In an exclusive interview with tennisnet.com , Dominic Stricker talks about the highlights of his career so far, the motivation through the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and explains how Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka have stood by the only 19-year-old so far.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Apr 18, 2022, 10:09 am
Mr. Stricker, this year you made it into the top 200 in the world rankings for the first time. How satisfied are you with the start of the season?
I'm actually very happy with the start of the season. I had a great start in Australia with my first Grand Slam, it's a great experience. Then I was also very satisfied with the trip to America, where I played three very good tournaments. And now it was great in Switzerland too – the Davis Cup duel that we were able to win. And the tournament in Biel was also a great week. I'm really happy with how the year is going so far.
In addition to your triumph in the juniors at the French Open, you gained international fame through your performances in Geneva and Stuttgart. After such exceptional weeks on the ATP tour, how difficult is it to switch back to the Future or Challenger level with full focus, where the players are often two or three hundred places further down in the world rankings?
I think moving from the ATP Tour tournaments back to the Challenger Tour is not that difficult because I'm really used to playing on the Challenger Tour. But any week that you can play at the ATP Tour level is a super week and you really enjoy it and see where you want to go. That's also a motivation for me that I can get away from this challenger level on the ATP tour, which is also my goal.
So far you have had your greatest successes on clay court. Would you also call the red ash your favorite background?
Yes, I was very, very successful on clay court, but I also had great success on grass in Stuttgart, my two Challenger tournaments that I have won so far were on indoor hard court. So I think I really like playing on every surface and I like every surface. I can also adapt a bit. That certainly helps enormously if you feel comfortable on most or even on every surface.
They hardly ever played tournaments at Future level and quickly established themselves at Challenger level. Many players say that the time in the futures is a special financial challenge, in which the pressure on one's own shoulders is quite high. In your young career, have you ever felt the pressure to move up the rankings as quickly as possible?
I don't think it was a pressure for me because I was extremely young when I started playing the Future Tour. And I certainly played a few tournaments too, I know there weren't many. Because I was then able to make extremely good use of the wild card at the Challenger tournament in Lugano and that opened so many doors for me because I got into the Challengers and played really well there again. That was a great success. But I don't think I felt any kind of pressure. I knew that everyone on my team was behind me and I quickly played well and skipped the Future level pretty quickly.
With Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Flavio Cobolli, there are just three players ahead of you in your age group. To what extent can Holger Rune's rise to the top 100 and now Carlos Alcaraz's breakthrough be a role model for you too?
Of course, it's extremely great to see that I'm doing really well compared to the players of my own age. It's also extremely great to see how Carlos or Holger's rise is progressing. What the two do is just incredible. And Fabio is also a really good friend of mine, we got along extremely well on the Junior Tour. It's great to see them getting that far, but it's also a motivator. It motivates me for the future to get to where they are as quickly as possible so that I can then compete with them.
You yourself broke a special record last year. By winning doubles at Gstaad's home event, you are now the youngest player, ahead of Roger Federer, to win the doubles title in Gstaad. Just a nice detail or a significant achievement for you?
Yes, of course it's very cool to have such a record and then of all places in your own country. It was a great week with Marc Huesler, we really enjoyed this double in Gstaad. It's cool, but doubles isn't what I train for every day. But of course it was a hammer week. I will never forget that either: my first title on the tour in doubles. That was a hammer experience.
It motivates me for the future to get to where they are as quickly as possible so that I can then compete with them.
Dominic Stricker on the rapid rise of Carlos Alcaraz - and also Holger Rune.
In general: How do you deal with it when you are predicted to follow in the footsteps of the great Roger Federer?
To be honest, for me it's more of a motivator than a pressure when you talk about a Roger or whoever. I think it's great that I'm compared to him, but of course there's still an extremely long way to go. What Roger has achieved is incredible. I will do everything to be where he is or was. I will do everything to be able to play up front in the Grand Slam tournaments.
With Roger and Stan Wawrinka, Swiss men's tennis has recently experienced a highly successful era. Do you think you benefit from the successes of the two? Be it better training conditions in your home country or increased interest in the population?
Yes, of course, I think I can benefit enormously from the two Swiss, Stan and Roger. It's unbelievable what these two have achieved and yes, I've trained with both of them several times. It's a huge motivation when you see that we have two in the country who are really playing so well and it's also helped me a lot. I have to say they also gave me good tips that helped me tremendously on my way.
For tennis fans who may not know you that well and haven't seen you play. What defines you as a player?
One of the most important things for me is definitely that I'm left-handed. I think that's a big point in my game - especially on serve, which I've been improving a lot lately. Then I try to dictate the game with my forehand, but I can also speed up my backhand. I also like to play varied games, I like going to the net once in a while, but I also like to add a slice.
You are always quite modest when it comes to formulating short-term goals. Let's try it another way: What should you have achieved by the end of the season to look back on the year with satisfaction?
My goal by the end of the season - I would say - is to finish in the top 150. I'm really close now, but I think there's still a long way to go because I still have to defend a few points. I'm still looking forward to the rest of the year, there's still a lot of great things to come: with the Grand Slams, the Davis Cup, the ATP Tour tournaments. I'm really happy and I hope that I can achieve this goal.
Finally: Will we see you again in Austria like last year?
Yes, I do believe that I will play in Austria again this year. I don't know when and where yet, but I do believe that there will definitely be a tournament where I'll be in Austria. Austria is a great country for me, I spent a lot of vacations there with my family as a child, I also played a lot with my father there, it really is a great country. I would be happy if I can come here again this year.