We feel caught up by the past," Elias Ymer reflects on Swedish tennis
Elias Ymer, currently ranked 235th in the world, gave an interview to tennis.com, discussing his goals and the state of Swedish tennis.
He was once featured on the early posters of the Next Gen, seen as the future of the sport. Yet, the Swede has never broken into the Top 100 and seems far from it today.
Still, he hasn’t lost hope: "I’m getting a better understanding of my playing style right now. I’m trying to be more aggressive and come to the net more often. I have that game in me, but I haven’t shown it yet.
I have an offensive game, but I don’t really use it. That’s probably both my strength and my weakness."
For years, he has carried Swedish tennis on his shoulders alongside his brother, Mikael, though the latter has struggled to return to the top level after his suspension for missing three anti-doping tests.
But the country lacks true headline players, unlike in the past with legends like Bjorn Borg.
He says: "Maybe we’re still stuck in the good old days. Tennis has become a highly competitive sport in recent decades.
People don’t always understand what it means to be a professional player today.
Personally, I remember doing very well as a junior, but once you’re on the senior tour, you face the best and lose more often—that’s what affects confidence.
My advice to juniors is to leave the Futures level as quickly as possible because those levels can be mentally very demanding.
