Dominik Koepfer talks about how the United States has become his home and how the decisions he has made have shaped his career. The current world number 57 also explains how he has experienced this beginning of the season.
“I was looking for a coach after my time in college tennis in the United States. I didn’t really want to go back to Germany because after four years in the United States I no longer had any real connection there. I didn’t have the support of the federation either, so I looked for something on my own. I really liked the Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Tampa, where many successful players had been trained, and I was able to find a coach with whom I continue to work today,” says Dominik in an interview with tennisnet.
A few years ago, in 2017, Dominik was competing in the Helbronn Challenger, a tournament in which he preferred interviews in English rather than German: “Now I travel more often with the German players, my family also often accompanies me. I haven’t played many tournaments in Germany yet. Last year I had an injury and I was very present on the Challenger circuit, covid didn’t help either. This year, however, I am determined to compete more in Germany. One of my first coaches was Irish, so I caught the English from him. With him I really learned the language, since it was my first year in the United States. Now I’ve lived here since 2012. You learn very quickly, and if you can’t pronounce something, you say it however you can. Now it is easy for me to switch from one language to another.”
A start to the year that exceeds expectations
Dominik briefly reviews how he has experienced this start to the 2024 season: “At first, I wasn’t sure if I should compete in Hong Kong or start on the Challenger circuit. The Australian Open draw was unfortunate against Alexander Zverev, I played well, but I missed some opportunities. Reaching the semi-finals in doubles with Yannick Hanfmann was unexpected. It’s a shame we didn’t make it to the final, but it was a lot of fun. In general, it was a positive start,” explains the German tennis player.
2024-02-20 06:30:00
#didnt #years
