ASTANA, October 1, 2023
Jurij Rodionov is enjoying a successful week at the Astana Open. After qualifying for the main draw of the ATP Tour 250 event in Kazakhstan’s capital city, the 24-year-old Austrian recorded two more wins to advance to the quarterfinals, where he will face French veteran Adrian Mannarino on Sunday.
On his day day off, Rodionov sat down for an interview with us.
Tennis TourTalk: Including the qualifying, you have already secured four wins here at the tournament. Astana seems to be a good place for you?
Jurij Rodionov: I have played here in Kazakhstan several times before. Twice in Shymkent and once in Almaty, where I won my first Challenger tournament. Even here at the venue in Astana, it’s my fourth or fifth time. I feel very comfortable here, and you could say that I have really absorbed the court conditions.
Your parents are from Belarus. Do you consider speaking the language here as an advantage for you?
I speak Russian, and quite fluently. Even though I couldn’t speak much last year because I don’t have much contact with my old homeland, it helps me a lot here. It gets better day by day, and it feels really good to speak my mother tongue again.
In 2020, you played a Challenger event in Kazakhstan, which was then canceled due to Covid outbreak, leading to a longer break on the tour. What memories do you have of that?
I can still remember that well. Many other players had immediately left the country as quickly as possible. As one of the few remaining players, I obviously had good chances to win the tournament and earning the ranking points, but unfortunately, I lost in the second round, and the plan didn’t work out.
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You have struggled on the court in recent times. Here at the tournament, you are enjoying a good run of form again. How do you explain it?
It’s all about confidence. I just go onto the court and don’t wonder if it will work today. I can simply rely on my game again and concentrate on my strengths. I didn’t have that confidence in my game in the last few weeks.
How satisfied are you with your season so far?
This is by far my most successful season. With successes like winning the Challenger title in Switzerland, I entered the Top 100 in the ATP Race and in the world rankings. The next few weeks will show if I can maintain my position there and thus directly qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open, which is my main goal for the rest of the season.
A good ranking position is based on consistently good performances. What has changed that you can now deliver these more frequently than in previous years?
When I have a good day, I can be very dangerous. Like yesterday, for example, when I defeated Sebastian Baez, who is ranked inside the Top 30. It’s more about minimizing the number of days when I don’t feel so good, so that I can play my game with the necessary confidence. It’s important to avoid streaks where you lose in the first round for four, five weeks in a row, having good results in between.
You often travel with different coaches on the tour. What advantages do you see in that for yourself?
For me, it’s important to have a constant base, and I’ve had that for a year and a half now. Nevertheless, I generally think that fresh air is good for me. On tour, it’s important for me to have some variety. As a tennis player, you sometimes see your coaches more often than your family or friends. I’m currently traveling with Richy Waite. We are together almost 24/7 for almost a month at the tournaments in Astana, Shanghai, and Tokyo. When you’re on the road with the same person for 20 weeks a year, it can be quite a lot.
Do you have any favourite spots here in Astana?
I have been playing for the last four days, so unfortunately there was not that much time for sightseeing. I needed the time to recover and enjoy my day off in the tournament’s hotel, which I really like.
Thank you for the interview and good luck for your upcoming matches.
Interview: Dietmar Kaspar/Florian Heer
