By Scoop Malinowski
Status: ATP no. 387. No. 1 seed in Roland Garros boys singles and doubles.
Age: 18
Birthplace: Sandton, South Africa (Plays for Austria, coached by Jurgen Melzer for three years)
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 187
First Tennis Memory: Playing with my dad in South Africa (age 6). Playing for fun, I never thought I would reach this level. My dad was a professional player. He stopped early and started studying in Vienna. My dad still talks about beating Roger Federer in a doubles match [smiles].
Tennis Inspirations: Nadal, Federer, Kyrgios.
First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: I guess Federer when I used to practice in Austria, age 11 or 12.
Last Book Read: A really small book, my brother bought it for me. I don’t know the title… Control mind.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate.
Favorite Artist: Drake.
Greatest Career Moment (so far): Winning Junior Finals Chengdu, China 2023. Winning ATP Challenger in Skopje, North Macedonia (beat Majchrzak in final 63 63 2024).
Most Painful Moment: The week before Chengdu I played in Japan (Osaka). Before the semifinal match I couldn’t walk, my knee, it was hurt. I won the match with painkillers (beat Rei Sakamoto 57 76 63). I didn’t feel it anymore. I never felt something like that.
Favorite Tournaments: That I played… Australian Open, Paris, Juniors in Milan.
Why Do You Love Tennis: Because I love competing. I love winning. Winning is like a drug to me [smiles].
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Soccer.
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: Not really. Just losing to somebody I shouldn’t lose to.
Three Athletes You Like To Watch & Follow: Conor McGregor, Ronaldo, Steph Curry.
Funniest Player: Andy Murray.
People Qualities Most Admired: Humble. Kind to everybody. Those are the two most important things.
ATP · Conor McGregor · French Open · Joel Schwaerzler · Jurgen Melzer · Nick Kyrgios · Roger Federer
