Hubert Hurkacz: full throttle to the top

He is only 24 years old and ended up in the global top 10 for a while already last year. At the 49th ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the fourth placed Polish Hubert Hurkacz is one of the title favorites. In order to fulfill that role, he will have to deal with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, winner in Rotterdam Ahoy in 2017, in the first round Monday.

Rising star
Hurkacz, the current number 11 in the world, also realizes that for the fans the confrontation between rising star Hurkacz and veteran Tsonga (36) promises to be a titanic duel. "Jo-Wilfried has had a difficult time with many injuries, but he is such a great player, a great person and of course the former number 5 in the world. Everyone is a fan of him'', says Hurkacz, who is taking part in Rotterdam for the third time.

Killing the giants
Hurkacz caused a stir last year at Wimbledon, where he turned out to be a giant killer by first eliminating Daniil Medvedev, the world number 2, and then sending Roger Federer home. At Wimbledon, he eventually reached the semi-finals, in which he had to recognize his superiority in Matteo Berrettini. "I've had an astonishing year," said Hurkacz, who won three ATP tournaments last year. "But I don't see why it couldn't be better."

Tsitsipas
At the Australian Open, he says he did not yet show his best game, so Hurkacz is keen to shine in Rotterdam. In his two previous participations in Ahoy, he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas, this year's leader in Rotterdam. Hurkacz with an affable smile: "So there is still room for improvement."

Full throttle
Although Hurkacz has never been able to break through in Rotterdam, he is having a good time in the Netherlands. And where Hurkacz himself went full throttle towards the top in recent years, the Formula 1 fan admires the famous Dutchman. "I also saw the last race and supported Max Verstappen. You Dutchies must have been so happy after that race."

Training courses
In Rotterdam, Hurkacz obviously has more eye for tennis conditions. "The facilities, for example the training courses, are fantastic here. That also makes it easier for us as players. And it is so wonderful that fans are allowed to enter the stadium again." Those fans will not be bored, the Polish Hurkacz thinks. "I have already been able to train on the centre court. It's a relatively slow track, so I think we'll see a lot of rallies."