As a former top 10 man and Paris semi-finalist Jürgen Melzer pays a high price to be able to actively follow his great passion even at 36. For his subsequent career, the Lower Austrian will be targeting the job of Davis Cup captain, among other things. Interview: Fritz Hutter (sports magazine).
tennisnet: One allegedly gets wise from damage. Have you been able to profit somehow from the “damage” you have suffered to your shoulder and elbow in recent years?
Jürgen Melzer: In fact, I learned a lot through commenting, which I would never have done without the injury breaks. From this bird’s-eye view, you can analyze so much better. And it all puts itself into perspective. Meanwhile I’m just more happy to be able to play. That makes the pressure quite different. When I think about how you’re live, when, like Dominic Thiem, you have to play semifinals or finals every week. It’s a whole different story for me now. It’s a pleasure to play and to still be able to annoy some.
tennisnet: But you’re going to play again three weeks a month, aren’t you?
Melzer: Quite, but at the moment I’m still a little bit away from that. I think that in the future I will have to play a 2:2 rhythm, but I won’t bring a 3:1 rhythm together any more.
tennisnet: On the last Davis Cup weekend you were not the only successful “old man”. In Valencia, for example, Mr Ferrer and Mr Kohlschreiber fought a remarkable five-set duel. Why are the more mature tennis stars of today “younger” than those of the past?
Melzer: Because work is more professional. Many players today travel with Physio and simply work better “with their bodies”. You listen more closely, and injury prophylaxis has become much more important. And you know that even if you get an incredible job offer, you’ll probably still be able to do it in three years’ time, so you’ll enjoy every day that’s left.
tennisnet: What is the biggest difference between the Jürgen Melzer of today and that of, say, 2012?
Melzer: The objective. In 2012 I still won Memphis (note: final victory over Milos Raonic). I was already injured on my back, but I still had this top 10 or top 15 goal. It took me a very long time to accept that my body just didn’t work as it might until 2010, and from the moment I understood that, the injuries unfortunately came. If I had found the doctor earlier who made my back painless by tearing my lumbar disc, I could have saved three years of my career. But in retrospect, as you know, you’re always smarter.
tennisnet: Is there anything in purely tennis-related terms that you can do better today than in the top 10 at primetime?
Melzer: In 2016 I learned the short forehand cross in preparation. With my then coach Jan Velthuis I stood there 20, 30 minutes before and after each training in the small field and practiced it. Jan said then, this is an extremely important ball, but I don’t have it. Until then, I always peppered everything into the back of the corner. Of course my short cross is still not like the Federer’s, but at least I’ve got it. I’m also sure to be technically better today. Fredrik Rosengren (note: 2017 from March to the elbow surgery at the beginning of October) taught me last year to omit the light bow when I went forehand volley and thus to do less with my wrist. You can still get me with that in practice.
tennisnet: Can you see worse?
Melzer: No.
tennisnet: How’s it going when wearing socks?
Melzer: I couldn’t do that properly even at the age of 31. It’s just the back. Where with 22 sometimes two minutes of arm circles were enough, today I warm up one hour for each workout and then sit at the bike for an eternity and stretch. If I put on a sprint cold today, I don’t know what’ll rip off first. This is the bill for 20 years of professional tennis. Eventually, the increasing effort will simply end my career.
tennisnet: You’ve been the father of a very agile son for a year now. You want to be fit for him too and stay…
Melzer:… that’s why I won’t be playing so long that I’ll be driving off the court in a wheelchair. Life after that just gets casual. My heart already rises when the little one gets up in the morning and runs to the tennis racket and rolls a ball around. But I’m looking forward to everything that comes and it would be just stupid not to be able to do anything of it anymore, because I played tennis one year too long.
tennisnet: Do you feel you still have something to prove?
Melzer: Not any more. As I said before, tennis still gives me a lot of pleasure – because I’m good at it.
tennisnet: Do you feel economic pressure?
Melzer: It’s not that I never have to do anything again, but I hope that I can choose what I do. I once wanted to build a nice house and I played tennis for it too. My wife (note: ex-swimmer Fabienne Nadarajah) and I could fulfill this dream now, and I look forward to moving in at the end of August. But I’m not a material type. I still don’t need the most expensive car and 37 watches, but it’s enough for me if I can go somewhere with the little one and just buy a sweater for him if he’s good for us. Even though my tennis is a minus deal at the moment, I don’t feel any money worries on the court.
Page 1: Jürgen Melzer on tennis at a mature age, his back and the right time to retire
Page 2: Jürgen Melzer on Roger Federer, Feliciano Lopez and his plans for 2018