Seven tournaments played in 2022-23, three cuts cleared with the reference result of… 50th place on January 22 in Abu Dhabi. The balance sheet is hardly famous for the five-time winner on the DP World Tour, absent from the fairways for eleven months due to a herniated disc. The next six months will be decisive for Alexander Levy. Interview truth.
Interview by Lionel VELLA
Two and a half months after your return to competition, how is your back?
Everything’s good. After my first four tournaments of the season, I had a little pain in my left elbow which woke up. I had to do an infiltration. So I could not train for ten days before returning to play the last three tournaments in Africa. (Kenya and South Africa). The results were average but at least I got rid of any pain. I will be able to move forward…
Because you still had some pain when you returned in January?
No ! It’s just that returning to competitive play triggered other little signals in my body. But then, in the end, I have nothing. It’s cool.
In terms of results, it’s not exceptional. Same thing with the bottom of the game. I’m not very happy with my swing either.
How would you describe your start to the season after eleven months off due to a herniated disc?
What was reassuring is that physically, I didn’t feel any pain in my back. On the other hand, at the level of the game, it was not flamboyant. I nevertheless managed to do two or three good things like in Abu Dhabi. So. In terms of results, it’s not exceptional. Same thing with the base game. I’m not very happy with my swing either. We will have to put things in place. These three weeks of rest will be, as such, very important for the future.
During this period, will you be competing in the French Professional Championship at the Médoc, scheduled for April 7 to 9?
Yes ! This will be the only tournament I will play during this break. My staff will also be there with me.
What are you going to work on more specifically with Alain Alberti, your coach?
I lost a bit of distance, especially in the drive. The way I swing is not good. On recovery, I struggled a bit in the chipping sector. It’s not flamboyant what I do. We will have to go higher…
I must prepare myself to be the sharpest physically because the next three to four months will be a pivotal period.
Are you regularly monitored for your back?
Every morning and every evening, I have to do half an hour of stretching. It’s a daily routine that I’m taking. It’s positive. I am also lucky that François (Teissedre-Dalou, his osteopath) came to South Africa (au SDC Championship). He could see that bio-mechanically, it wasn’t working the way I wanted on the course.
Have you set a deadline for reaping the fruits of the work you are currently doing?
I’m going to play a lot in Europe, where the journeys are shorter and where you get tired less. These three weeks off will allow me to juice up, to rest too… I have to prepare myself to be the sharpest physically because, to answer your question, the next three to four months will be a pivotal period.
What will be your upcoming schedule after the end of these three weeks of rest?
I will go to Japan and South Korea (20-30 avril). I will continue with Italy (May 4-7) and most certainly Belgium (May 11-14). I have no plans to take part in the US Open 36-hole qualifier (May 16) at Walton Heath (England). It’s not my priority today even if we know that everything can go quickly in golf. Then there will be the KLM Open (May 25-28)le Porsche European Open (June 1-4) and Sweden (June 8-11). I will also do the BMW International Open (June 22-25) and the British Masters (June 29-July 2). On the other hand, I don’t know yet if I’m going to skip Denmark or not. (July 6-9)… I will also go to the United States for the Barbasol Championship (July 13-16) and the Barracuda Championship (July 20-23).
Unless you qualify for The Open in Liverpool in the meantime…
(Not really convinced) Yes, of course… For now, I have a fixed schedule. If things go in the right direction, of course we’ll go there!
I have already experienced seasons during which I had not started well before reversing things from April. Afterwards, if it continues like this, we must not kid ourselves. It will get more and more complicated
Are you already thinking about this possibility of not keeping your playing rights for 2024?
When you come back from a long injury, you fear this kind of scenario. I have already experienced seasons during which I had not started well before reversing things from April. Afterwards, if it continues like this, we must not kid ourselves. It will get more and more complicated. But for the moment, there is nothing to worry about, even if, I repeat, the background of the game currently is not what I dream of.
What could turn out to be a positive trigger? A top 10 very soon on the DP World Tour?
I think the result is anecdotal. We know how it works. I think that beyond the result, the most important thing is the feelings of the game. And there, even in training, I don’t feel terrible. I feel like that’s not what I’ve known. Everything will go through that first. The problem is not mental, because I feel good on the pitch. It’s just a technical problem.
Is this the hardest time you’ve had to go through since turning pro in 2010?
Personally, I’ve had much tougher times. Nothing can affect me more than what I have experienced in my private life. I would rather say that it is a challenge that presents itself to me. It’s not a complicated time. It’s just that it’s tiring. As a competitor, I can’t do what I want to do right now. Since the beginning of the year, my level of play has not been good at all. However, I managed to achieve some results without being at 50% of my means. I’m thinking here of my two 68s (-4) during the first two rounds in Abu Dhabi which allow me to cross the cut. In Dubai, the following week, I miss the cut by one point. I could have made the cut on the first two Rolex Series of the season without playing divinely. So I’m not sounding the alarm, but when you’ve known the high level, in terms of ball striking in particular, it’s hard to admit that. We must not forget that I can no longer achieve the same swing as before. In short, it’s up to me to be patient.
Photo : STUART FRANKLIN / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP
