RENNES, January 25, 2020
Danilo Petrovic leads the semi-finals line-up of this week’s Open Blot Rennes. Sitting at a career-high World No. 126, the Serbian enjoyed his most successful season so far last year. Petrovic lifted his first two trophies on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning the tournament’s in Jerusalem, Israel and Sibiu, Romania.
He started into the new decade at the ATP Challenger event in Canberra, which had to be relocated to Bendigo due to the unhealthy conditions in Australia’s capital city. Later he played the qualifying to the Australian Open in Melbourne and also met the Serbian team to celebrate their win at the ATP Cup.
Had a good chat with Danilo Petrovic 🇷🇸 on his 28th birthday.
We talked about his start of the season in Australia and that he wants to earn direct entry into the main draw of the #AusOpen next year.
Next up, however, will be the semis at @OpenBlotRennes against James Ward. pic.twitter.com/fhXezrfJMK
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) January 24, 2020
Tennis TourTalk: You started the season in Australia. Can you tell us a bit about the experience Down Under this year?
Danilo Petrovic: I was amazed that they managed to organize everything to play the Canberra Challenger event. Huge congrats to Tennis Australia and all the guys, who did their best. We all know how Australia suffered from the bushfires. They organized us a bus and we had a trip for about eight hours to go from Canberra to Bendigo. We could even see some parts, where the trees were burning. It was devastating. I lost in the second round to Ugo Humbert and after all the photos and videos I have seen I told the organization that if they need me and my team as volunteers you can sign us up for Red Cross. However, in Melbourne they told us that it was quite full with volunteers in this region. But I wanted to help as it was sad to see how many houses burnt down and animals were killed.
You probably followed Serbia’s win at the ATP Cup. Did you have the chance to meet the team afterwards?
We celebrated the Orthodox New Year on 14 of January and we all gathered at a nice restaurant in Melbourne, run by a Serbian guy. It was really nice. I didn’t attend the ATP Cup but all of the team members said that it was an amazing experience. They told me it felt almost like playing at home. They never expected that huge support in Sydney.
You had a very good season last year, winning your first two ATP Challenger titles. What can we expect from you in 2020?
I always set myself pretty big goals. It’s not only about dreaming, you need to realize it. I have already played a couple of years on the Challenger Tour as well as some ATP events and I had big problems dealing with defeats. No one likes to lose but I needed to learn that this is also part of my job. There are always doubts after losing a match and it is very bitter, but you need to learn from it to become an even better player.
Do you put yourself any goals in terms of ranking positions?
The ultimate goal of every player regarding the financial situation is to get into the Top 100. There is a big difference between being ranked World No. 90 and World No. 110 because then you get into the main draws of the Grand Slams. So, I would like to get into the main draw of the Australian Open next. I will try to do whatever I can, not only in terms of practicing like crazy but also to realize that my body will need some rest from time to time. I am not that young anymore. Today is my 28th birthday and you need to find the right balance. Even when I have the opportunity to play a tournament that I really like, it is important to listen to your body.
Happy birthday! So, are there any plans for celebration tonight?
No (laughs). It was important to celebrate my birthdays maybe until the ago of 20. This morning I woke up and even forgot about it. My girl-friend, my sister, my mother and a couple of friends texted me and then I remembered it. I don’t really feel it. It will be a day like the others and it’s just nice to be here and that’s it.
