Leandro Riedi Surprises with ATP 250 Title Win at BW Open in Louvain-la-Neuve

This is probably not the winner that the public expected, but Leandro Riedi (ATP 250) was uncompromising throughout the week. Coming from qualifying, the Swiss made everyone agree this Sunday, at the BW Open in Louvain-la-Neuve. Opposed to the experienced Borna Coric (ATP 40), the young 22-year-old player always believed in his chances: 7-5, 6-2. “It was a dream week for me, commented the person concerned. “A difficult week but very positive. I am happy and a little speechless.”

Already victorious at the start of the season, at the Challenger 75 in Oeiras (Portugal), Riedi was enjoying it. “If this is the best moment of my career? Yes ! It is, because I had so many difficult matches. But I have always been mentally strong. So to get to the final and win the tournament is just crazy!”

Thanks to this success, the right-hander jumped 75 places in the ATP rankings. A first step towards his goal for the year. “This season, I hope to stay healthy and try to play hard all season in order to get into the top 125 or even the top 100.”

A fan of his compatriot Roger Federer, but also of Jannik Sinner, Riedi never felt pressure around the difficulty of growing up as a tennis player in a country like Switzerland. “Not me. I mean, I don’t compare myself to Roger because he will forever be Roger. I don’t focus on trying to be like him. It’s impossible. I just want to achieve my own path. Coming from the same country as him, I take it as a motivation. Not like pressure.”

gull

“Leandro was the best player, he was solid.”

Unhappy finalist, Borna Coric found what he had come to look for in Louvain-la-Neuve: minutes on the court. “I’m happy with my week,” said the Croatian. Obviously, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the victory today. But, you know, Leandro was the best player on the pitch. He was solid, I couldn’t do much.”

Concerning his level, the native of Zagreb seemed reassured and generally satisfied. “I haven’t played my best tennis all week but I’ve already been much worse. As I said before, I didn’t play in the last four months of last season. Then I lost very early at the Australian Open so I’m happy with what I got here, taking part in as many matches as possible. There were still some ups and downs, but I guess that’s normal when you come back from injury.”

Asked about the withdrawal of Borna Gojo (ATP 89) for the next Davis Cup match against Belgium (February 3-4), Coric reiterated that he wanted to concentrate on his personal career. His opinion has therefore not changed, a few days before the international meeting. “I had already announced it in December. The Davis Cup requires a lot of energy, although I enjoy playing for my country. I joined the team when I was only 16 years old and I rarely missed this competition, except when I was injured. I just need time. I’m not that young anymore and I need to concentrate on my tournaments.”

2024-01-28 19:42:00
#Leandro #Riedi #victory #Open #LouvainlaNeuve #Borna #Coric #moment #career