Youngster Jerome Kym - "There are always exceptions like Alcaraz and Rune"
Jerome Kym, 19, made great strides in the past season. Florian Heer spoke to the Swiss a few weeks ago.
by Florian Heer
last edit:
Dec 19, 2022, 12:42 pm
Switzerland stands for beautiful mountains, delicious chocolate and high-quality watches, but also for successful tennis. Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Martina Hingis are certainly the best-known names that have shaped professional tennis in recent decades. But the small country in Central Europe does not have to worry about the sporting future either. Especially in men's tennis, the Swiss seem to be well positioned for the coming years.
Dominic Stricker was able to celebrate his ATP Challenger Tour successes number two and three this season and, at the age of 20, is about to make it into the top 100. Leandro Riedi, who was the same age, triumphed for the first time at Challenger level in 2022.
The only Swiss teenager in the top 500 is Jerome Kym. The 19-year-old from Rheinfelden shouldn't be missing in the ranks of young talents. Kym was already a successful junior, winning bronze at the U-18 European Championships in Moscow four years ago and reaching 5th place in the world junior rankings. The next step is for the Aargau rider to do the same as his slightly older comrades and establish himself on the pro circuit. In late summer of this year, Kym reached the finals of two tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour and he was also able to score valuable world ranking points on the Challenger Tour.
At the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup, held at the end of October on the grounds of the Hamburg Tennis Association and at the same time Kym's last Challenger tournament of the season, we met the world number 428 for an interview.
Jerome, what are your impressions of the tournament and the local conditions?
The surface (hard court in the hall) suits me really well. Is not too fast, not too slow. I have enough time to tackle the balls and hit the shots cleanly. The focus is on not losing my serve. This is my weapon. The tournament here as a whole is great and a great challenger event.
Do you have a particular favorite topping?
It always depends. I didn't play badly on clay this year. If it's a surface like this indoors, it's also possible. My weakness are the faster rubbers.
You have played three finals on the ITF World Tennis Tour this season. The season is coming to an end. What is your first conclusion?
I wanted to be in the top 500 after my first year on the pro tour. I have achieved that. Now my goal is to climb towards 350th place and bring my best tennis to the court. Above all, I have to move well. The rest comes by itself. My engine has to be running all the time to get the whole thing moving. I was able to qualify at the challengers in Lugano and Verona and then made it to the quarter-finals. It still depends a bit on the finals that I'm not further up the field. But I will continue to work on that.
What have been the biggest challenges as a junior to get on the professional tour?
There are always a few exceptions, like a Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune. They are totally occupied with sport and don't do anything else from 7 in the morning until 9 in the evening. I have to adjust myself even better to get a better feeling for how I can do my tasks better.
Is that a question of motivation for you?
To be honest, there used to be days when I didn't feel like it at the beginning of the training. But that usually happened with the start of the session. But one or the other day was already there. Since I started working with my coach Markus Hipfl two years ago, that's definitely no longer the case and I'm fully motivated.
How did your partnership come about and how does your training work?
We met at a U-18 tournament in Israel in 2019. He gave me his number and said I should call if I ever needed help. He then worked again with Philipp Kohlschreiber and I also had the opportunity to train with him in Kitzbühel. That's how it came about. In November it will be exactly two years.
What did you take away from your sessions with Kohlschreiber?
He came to me in the first week of training and asked me who I was and what I can do and what I have to do. Then I just looked at him and was actually completely overwhelmed. Today it helps me to ask these questions in tight situations on the pitch. I was able to win a few important points with that.
You are a whole group of many young players in Switzerland. A Dominic Stricker has already won his first Challenger tournaments. Is there an additional motivation?
That is clearly an incentive and you then think to yourself: If he can do it, I can do it too. I shared a room with Leandro Riedi during our time together at the performance center in Biel and we also went to the same tournaments. We play together in the GC Zurich in the league team. We get along very well and I hope it's just a matter of time before I win a Challenger too.
When did you start tennis?
Around three to four years old.
That's relatively early. Do you come from a tennis family?
No, my parents had never had anything to do with tennis. I also played football as a goalkeeper back then. When I was about 11, I had to decide which sport I wanted to continue with. On difficult days you sometimes question yourself whether it was the right decision. In the end, though, I'm glad it turned out that way.
Do you have specific role models in tennis?
Of course, Roger, of course. With Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev, I admire the speed of the ball and the placement of the shots. I was also able to train with Dominic for two weeks this season near Vienna. That was another very good experience.
When you're not on the pitch, what are your hobbies?
My father was one of the best drummers in Switzerland for over 20 years and I followed in his footsteps. I grew up drumming. I had my first drumsticks when I was a child. I still do it with great passion, I've won a few tournaments and I'll never give that up.
Thank you for the interview and continued success.