Swiss tennis player Mika Brunold climbed from ranking 410 to 191 within six weeks, securing Challenger tournament titles in Tulln and Roanne ahead of his first Australian Open qualification attempt in January. The 22-year-old athlete, who publicly came out as gay last November, spoke with Swiss media about managing the mental and physical demands of the professional tour.
Climbing the ATP Rankings Through Tournament Wins
Brunold’s recent surge on the ATP Challenger Tour propelled him past several Swiss contemporaries, including Dominic Stricker, Jérôme Kym, and Leandro Riedi. Working with coach Carbone, the Swiss player learned from his experience on the highest level regarding stress management, nutrition, and recovery. Carbone brought experience from working with top-50 and top-20 players, helping Brunold refine his stress management, nutritional habits, and physical recovery routines. Having avoided serious injuries through preventative physiotherapy since age 12, Brunold enters January’s Australian Open qualifiers as Switzerland’s second-ranked male singles player behind Stan Wawrinka.
Before working with Italian coach Gianluca Carbone starting in April, Brunold collaborated with various coaches, including former Davis Cup player Henri Laaksonen. Growing up, Brunold did not train endlessly for many hours daily during his youth around age 14; his parents, whose plan was to build him up step by step so he could gradually adapt to the physical load, were both part of the national elite. Brunold’s father Armando once defeated a young Roger Federer at a tournament, a fact Mika mostly discovered himself while reading a biography about Federer rather than hearing about it constantly from his father.
Brunold Says Coming Out Boosted His on-Court Confidence
Following his public coming out on Instagram last November, which drew nearly 75,000 likes and numerous messages from individuals facing similar personal challenges, Brunold stated that the decision felt natural after a complete season. He noted that hiding his identity created an internal barrier on the court, and shedding that weight provided a noticeable lift in his on-court confidence and energy. While acknowledging that tennis culture and wider society still have progress to make regarding acceptance, Brunold emphasized his primary identity on the circuit: he is a tennis player first.
Brunold mentioned that he had known for a long time that he wanted to live openly with his homosexuality eventually, noting that the thought had matured for a while and was no longer a spectacularly dramatic decision when he spoke primarily with his mother—who agreed that living openly without hiding was best for him—at the right moment when the season had finished and his gut feeling told him he was ready.
Next Steps on the ATP Tour
With his position inside the top 200, Brunold earned direct entry into the qualifying rounds for the Australian Open in Melbourne this coming January. The ranking milestone grants him regular access to higher-tier events as he continues his upward trajectory on the professional circuit.
Regarding his future prospects, Brunold stated, Ich bin einen Schritt weiter, aber der Traum bleibt der gleiche.
