MAUTHAUSEN, May 2, 2026
Jaime Faria is steadily carving out his place on the professional tennis circuit. Born in Lisbon, Portugal the current World No. 136 – who reached a career-high ranking of 87 in early 2025 – has already shown his potential with a series of strong results this season.
Highlights include qualifying for the Australian Open and reaching the second round, as well as an impressive quarterfinal run at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro and a final appearance at the Sao Paulo Challenger.
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We caught up with the 22-year-old after his quarterfinal win on Friday against Miguel Damas at the Upper Austria Open powered by SKE in Mauthausen to talk about his season, his game, and his goals.
Tennis TourTalk: How do you rate your season so far?
Jaime Faria: I think it’s been solid. I did well in Australia and also during the South American swing. It involved a lot of travelling, so I feel a bit tired, but I still managed to achieve some good results in Europe.
What are the main challenges in transitioning to higher-level tournaments?
Honestly, the level between the ATP Tour and the Challenger Circuit is not that big. Players on the Challenger Tour are very competitive as well. It really comes down to small details. My goal is to reach that higher level consistently.
How would you describe your game style?
I have a good serve and I try to be aggressive on court. I would say I’m mainly a baseliner.
Where are you based and how important is your training environment?
I practice at the National Tennis Federation in Lisbon. I’ve been there since I was fifteen, so it’s been a long journey. We have different coaches, but I’ve been working with Pedro Sousa for about three years now. It’s a great setup with other Portuguese players, and I’m proud to be part of this team.
What have you learned from working with Pedro Sousa?
A lot. It really helps to work with someone who has played on the tour himself. He understands what I’m feeling on court. We have a very good relationship.
How do you see the current tennis situation in Portugal?
It’s getting better and better. Tennis isn’t the biggest sport in Portugal, but it’s definitely growing. We have some young players coming up. Henrique Rocha is one of my best friends on tour, and Nuno Borges also trains with me in Lisbon. It’s a great community.
What do you enjoy off the court?
I like to watch football and spend time with my friends. I support Sporting CP. They haven’t been that successful this season, but they were very good in previous years. I have a season ticket and try to go to the stadium whenever I can.
Do you have a favourite city on tour?
I really like Rio de Janeiro. The tournament there is one of the best on tour.
How do you spend your time during a tournament week like this?
We try to enjoy the city as well. For example, yesterday we went for a walk around town – it’s nice to experience different places.
What are your goals moving forward?
I want to finish the season inside the top 100. I’d also like to perform well in the Davis Cup with Portugal, as we haven’t had too many wins lately. Overall, I just want to keep improving step by step and raise my level.
Thank you.
Interview: Florian Heer
