Roland Garros 2023 | “He reminds me of Kuerten”: Who is Thiago Seyboth Wild, Medvedev’s croqueur?

Undaunted audacity, a devastating forehand, the public in the pocket… On Tuesday, the Philippe-Chatrier court had a rare experience, that of seeing a qualifier defeat one of the first two seeds in Grand Slam, with the way moreover, since at the end of five sets and with, as a bonus, a breathtaking end to the match. The executioner of the Russian is called Thiago Seyboth Wild and he does not quite come out of nowhere.

If he had a much lower ranking before Roland-Garros (172nd) and he had to go through the qualifications, the 23-year-old Brazilian has already climbed to 106th place at the ATP. It was in September 2020, the day after the US Open during which he lost in the 1st round and his final at the Challenger in Aix-en-Provence. That year, he won his first ATP title, beating a certain Casper Ruud in the final in Santiago. Becoming the first player born in 2000 to win a tournament on the circuit, he confirmed the hopes born of his success at the US Open for juniors two years earlier.

Nearly 50 matches on clay in 2023

The one we thought launched towards the Top 100 has a hell of a setback in 2021. Most often on the Challenger circuit, he only wins one ATP match and even at the lower level, his record is mediocre ( a half for best result in Challenger). Ditto in 2022 where it is still struggling to cross the threshold.

At the same time, he is talking about him for accusations of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend. On Tuesday, he avoided a journalist’s question about it but he remains under threat of legal action since he is still wanted by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro,

Raised to the ground, Seyboth Wild does not leave the ocher of the entire first half of 2023 for a total of around 50 matches. A determination that paid off with a Challenger title at Vina del Mar against Hugo Gaston. “I think I proved to myself that hard work is the only way to achieve anything, so that’s basically what I take away from this game“, he underlined Tuesday after his success on Medvedev. Not euphoric, he is already planning on the sequel, leaving it to others to talk about him and his game which recalls one of these illustrious compatriots.

The idols Kuerten and Nadal

“His forehand is crazy. He reminds me of Gustavo Kuerten when I see him play… That’s partly why the public supported him. Daniil made sure the crowd wasn’t on his side but it was a great atmosphere“, greeted our consultant Mats Wilander. Thiago Seyboth Wild does not know personally “the idol“Guga but he admits to being inspired by his”energy“and in his way of”dream big“.

He grew up with the ultra-domination of Rafael Nadal. His favorite book was for a long time the biography of the Spaniard, which he devoured several times until he was 15 years old. “The way he plays, the commitment he puts on the court and the way he wants to win, you don’t see that every day, you don’t see that in anyone. It’s Rafael Nadal.“His dream, to face him at Roland-Garros, took a turn for the worse with the double announcement of “Rafa”’s withdrawal this year and his probable retirement at the end of 2024. The dream of challenging the legend may remain. In the meantime, Thiago Seyboth Wild is experiencing a very real one this year and he can still make it last.