With Sebastian Ofner, Dominic Thiem, Filip Misolic and Dennis Novak, four of the five best Austrians in the world tennis rankings will represent their home colors at the Kitzbühel Generali Open.
For Jurij Rodionov, it was only because of his run to the Zug semi-final that the deadline was not reached. The duo behind them – Maximilian Neuchrist and Lukas Neumayer – got stuck in the qualification, but Günter Bresnik’s protégé Lukas Neumayer in particular seems to be on the up.
In mid-July in Salzburg, the two-time state champion brought his first Challenger final, which he lost against Ofner, into the top 250, including after a win against top 100 man Thiago Monteiro (BRA).
Neumayer wants to play the first Grand Slam in 2024
It will not be enough for the US Open qualifier, his goal is the Australian Open. “By then, the top 200, I’m well on my way there. It’s a secondary goal that I’ll play my first Grand Slam next year,” Neumayer told APA.
Despite qualifying, he was satisfied with his Kitz performance, especially with the 6:1,6:2 against the top seeded Federico Coria (ARG).
The 20-year-old always trains with Bresnik when he’s not at tournaments. On the tour he will be accompanied by Richard Ruckelshausen and Gerald Kamitz, with whom he has been working for about a decade.
He got a real jolt this year at the start of the clay court season. “Before that this year there was a bit of desperation, I felt lost on the pitch. But I got out of that phase extremely well.” Next he wants to write on home soil at the September Challengers in Tulln and Bad Waltersdorf.
Golf as Neumayer’s “boyfriend”
Neumayer’s second sporting love is golf, he always has his bag with his clubs with him in the summer. “I played tournaments until the age of twelve, was top ten in Austria.”
After deciding to play tennis, he is now a fan of his golfing sister Anna Neumayer. To a certain extent, she follows in the footsteps of Matthias Schwab in the US and will go to college in Denver from the end of August. “That’s the next step, the greatest density of golf is in America,” says her brother.
“The next few years will show where the path is going.”
2023-07-31 05:25:42
#ÖTV #youngster #Neumayer #gradually #docking #top
