Melzer Blooming Into a Top-10 Player
Slowly but surely, Jürgen Melzer is living up to his potential as a world-class tennis player. True enough, Melzer is beginning to turn heads all over the world.
Currently sitting at world number 16, Melzer gained the attention of tennis supporters when he reached the semi finals of the 2010 French Open.
In a losing effort to four-time champion Rafael Nadal, Melzer still gave a good showing, clinching two set points in the third set tie-break. The odds were too much for Melzer.
Despite the setback, Melzer went to Wimbledon with high hopes. This comes as no surprise, as Melzer has always stated that confidence has been the biggest factor in his career.
Perhaps, his unrelenting confidence allowed him to surge ahead of David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic in the early rounds of the tournament. In the fourth round, however, Melzer met his match in defending champion Roger Federer.
Melzer and Fed - two friends who have not faced off against each other in the singles division before, although, the two did play doubles together as juniors - collided in a fourth round duel. The stakes were high for both players. Fed was expected to win, yet nobody expected Melzer to reach this particular stage of the Wimbledon Open.
True enough, Federer beat Melzer soundly, routinely showing his extraordinary gift of knowing when best to break. With barely a bead of sweat on his brow, the six-time champion won over the Austrian via scores 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. No surprises there, really.
What was surprising though was Melzer’s ability to overachieve. Largely considered as a journeyman, the Austrian has been steadily climbing the rankings due to his big wins and, well, losses to the sport’s biggest names—Federer included.
Both friend and foe, Fed had kind words for Melzer after the match. "I know Jurgen too well to play tricks with him. I always say, if you're not good enough and if you have to use stuff like that, you have issues. So try to play your best and, if it's enough, that's great," said Fed.
Post-match, Melzer joked to Federer that he would like to have replayed the match straight away. Despite the one-sided loss, Melzer still finds some humour in it—a rare case these days.
Perhaps, Melzer was able to find something positive in his match that he can take with him to the next tournament. After all, a world ranking of number 16 is still something. And the Austrian is quick to relish that fact.
“People may say that rankings don’t matter but they do. It’s a measure of how well you are performing. I’m proud of reaching world No 16, I’m also the second best Austrian behind Thomas Muster to play the game,” stated the Austrian.
Today, number 16. Tomorrow, who knows—a top ten ATP ranking might just be around the corner for Melzer.
At 29 years old, one could say that Melzer is at the twilight of his pro career. He himself has stated before that he doesn’t see himself competing beyond 40 years old.
“If I’m still performing at a good level, injury free and enjoying my tennis then I think I’ve got another six or seven years. I’m only 29 – that’s not old just yet,” said Melzer.
With his breakthrough French and Wimbledon Open performance, Melzer is really lighting up the top-10 race this year.
Melzer is finally coming out of his shell since turning pro more than a decade ago. Melzer is still considered a journeyman, and there is still a long way to go. But the world number 16 Melzer might just find himself on top of the tennis world real soon.
He’s blooming— just in the nick of time.
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