Players’ Voice with Hubert Hurkacz: Success against Roger Federer was like a tournament victory

“It was an unreal feeling to play against a player like Roger on Center Court and win,” said the 24-year-old, who has gained a lot of confidence from this success.

That is why the semi-finals at the lawn classic on Church Road are on par with his three tournament victories in Delray Beach, Miami and Metz.

From November 14th, the grand finale of the season will follow for Hurkacz, who will be competing in the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

In the series Players’ Voice on Eurosport.de the tennis professional reveals what it means to him to be among the top ten players in the world and how compatriot Iga Swiatek helped him on the way there.

By Hubert Hurkacz

Hello dear tennis friends,

as a child, Roger Federer was my idol. I remember trying to see him on TV as often as possible. It was then that I began to realize my dream of one day taking part in the biggest tournaments in the world myself.

When I played and won against Roger at Wimbledon this year, I felt nothing but pure joy. It was an extremely intense match for me, accompanied by an incredible atmosphere. Playing and winning against a player like him on center court was an unreal feeling – even now I can’t really describe the experience. There’s not much time left at the end of a match, but he told me I had a good game and wished me the best of luck for the rest of the tournament. That meant a lot to me.

That quarter-final win is definitely one of my most memorable moments this season. It was more than just a win because this game showed me that I had taken another step to push my limits and show that I can achieve great things. Wimbledon and the tournament victories in Delray Beach, Miami and Metz were equally great successes for me because they gave me the confidence that I can keep improving.

From the start of the season I believed that this year could be a successful one. But I would be lying if I said there were no ups and downs. It’s like I’m in a continuous process of self-development. The year started off really well, I won the Delray Beach title. But then I had to put up with a number of early eliminators as far as Miami.

That was the key to the first Masters title

In Miami I met Jannik Sinner in the final – a match that could actually have been difficult because he is one of my best friends on the tour. But when you go out on the court, all you think about is playing your best tennis. One strives for victory. Regardless of whether you play a friend or not, the preparation for a game is always the same. You have to adapt to your opponent’s style of play. You have to focus on how you play. It doesn’t matter if you like someone or not. That’s my approach and I think that’s how I won my first Masters title.

In general, I think this season was my best because I have the feeling that I am much more aware of what is happening on the pitch; mentally i feel stronger. I was also able to develop physically and I think my serve has improved a lot.

It would be nice to win a Grand Slam one day. Iga Swiatek’s triumph at the French Open last year was definitely an inspiration for me. That was something great.

Iga showed us all that someone from Poland can achieve such fantastic success. Seeing how much their success means to everyone at home was incredibly motivating for me. When we see each other at tournaments, it’s always nice to talk to each other and I follow your results closely. We keep our fingers crossed for each other and support each other.

I really hope that my results can inspire people as well – especially now that I’m in the top 10 of the world rankings. That was definitely my dream and it would be fun to stay there for many years to come.

Of course there are factors that are beyond my control, but as long as I continue to prepare physically and mentally for my competitions, I have the best possible chance of doing so. With this attitude I am now going to the ATP Finals.

Many greetings,

Your Hubert

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