It’s been a few weeks since Aljaz Body hang up the racket At 33 years old, the best Slovenian player in history put an end to his career representing his country in the Davis Cup, where he managed to win his singles match and also the doubles. Interestingly, that flag got him into some trouble in the past, when he became a British citizen between 2015 and 2017. In a recent interview with Sports Clubthe native of Ljublana answers these questions and takes stock of his fourteen seasons as a professional.
Do you miss tennis?
“Honestly, I’m fine as I am, right now I’m very busy. Every now and then I play a match against Boro Artnak, who is currently coached by my brother Andraz. I also usually watch some tennis on television, something I never did as a player”.
The beginning
“My brother and I started when we were little, but we never saw it as something serious, our parents just wanted us to enjoy ourselves, they saw that we never got tired. For as long as I can remember I have always been competitive, I didn’t want to lose to anyone, be it tennis or anything else. If I wasn’t good at something, I’d rather not do it. In the end it turned out that in tennis I was one of the best, but throughout my career I took it as a hobby, as a fun “
The date that boosts your confidence
“I will never forget the week of Barletta 2011, I beat people like Lukas Rosol or Filippo Volandri. It was just my second Challenger of the season, I had just been out for six months the previous year due to an injury. Despite not getting on a court for so long, I felt that the feeling was still there, it was as if I had been playing every day. Winning that week helped bring me closer to the elite group I was chasing.”
His change of flag
“There are a lot of people who don’t know the story, just the big picture. Tennis is an individual sport and unfortunately we do not have adequate support from the organizations that handle the major contracts in the big nations. I got my passport from Great Britain in 2015, but that process had already started in 2012. At that time I was a member of the Davis Cup team, I always liked representing Slovenia, but I didn’t quite feel part of the team”.
What happened to break with the Slovenian Federation?
“It all started with the captain, Blaz Trupej, whom I saw perform unprofessional techniques. I was very close to Kavcic, Zemlja and Semrajc, but I was the great hope of Slovenian tennis, in fact, to this day we have not had anyone so promising again. We trained with each other, no one else, so we started to lose status. I started playing less, they didn’t even count on me for doubles. When I was injured, they didn’t even call me to check on me. The relationship was a disaster, they treated me as if I didn’t exist, as if my presence bothered me. I didn’t feel part of that team, I saw that I didn’t belong to that place, that’s when I changed residence to apply for citizenship in a couple of years”.
leave to return
“When I look back I don’t regret anything, I decided what was most useful for me at that time, my career needed to have the wind in my favor. I wouldn’t change a thing, after talking to some people in the union I knew there was no other way out for me. I chose a different path, I met new people, so today I have a different mindset. The rules changed since then, in the end I was never allowed to play for Great Britain, so my desire to play in the Davis Cup got the better of me. I always had a good relationship with the new president, Mark Umberger, he didn’t hold a grudge against me, so he supported me 100% when I decided to come back.
His best moment, frustrated by the pandemic
“It was just before the arrival of COVID, although in my history I already had some good matches against Zverev, Tsonga, Tsisipas or Aliassime. In December 2019 I opted to go to Barcelona to train at the 4Slam Academy, where I could train with Rublev, Lajovic, Ivashka, Khachanov… they were all available for combat. I had never felt so prepared, until the coronavirus hit. During that half year I was stuck at home, training with guys who didn’t have a single ATP point. Just when I felt like I was finally living up to my potential, that I could reach the top 30, this came along. After the pandemic, everything calmed down, I did not want to go through all that again, I was no longer so young and had suffered some injuries.
unambitious mindset
“Throughout my growing up stage I was obsessed with the top100, that was my mantra, the dream we all strive for. When I got to England that changed, people there said that real success was being in the top 50. Who knows, if he had been born in a different environment he might have aspired to be in the top 20…and he probably would have. In this case, I gave up too quickly.”
Debate del GOAT
“You have to open your eyes, Roger Federer had the greatest influence that is remembered in the world of tennis. If we talk about the best in terms of results, it will definitely be Novak Djokovic. I am of the opinion that the Serbian will be the player with the most Grand Slam titles once all three have retired, also from Masters 1000, even in number of tournaments. I have played against all three many times and Novak has the most difficult ball to tackle, he is perfect.”
