DUBAI/WASHINGTON, March 16, 2021 (by Michael Dickens)
Last year was one that Jeremy Chardy would just as soon forget. He finished the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season with just three victories in the 10 ATP Tour matches he played in. Three of those losses came during the first round of each of the three Grand Slams that were contested. At the Australian Open, he lost to David Goffin, then to Andrey Rublev in the US Open, and, finally, against Jurij Rodionov at Roland Garros. That last one hurt the most. Chardy led two-sets-to-none before losing to Rodionov 10-8 in a fifth set tie break.
Chardy decided to shut down his season after the French Open last October and return home. Following a brief respite in London with his wife Susan and the couple’s baby son Stone, Chardy got started on his pre-season training early.
Now, following a 12-5 start to the 2021 season, including a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over World No. 23 and ninth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia to reach the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the 34-year-old Chardy is in a good frame of mind.
Impressive win for @jimchardy, beating De Minaur 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. pic.twitter.com/5f3kcSx763
— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) March 15, 2021
“I’ve got a good feeling about my tennis. I feel physically strong. It helps me to feel good on court, to gain confidence and to be able to fight,” the 53rd-ranked Chardy told Tennis TourTalk Monday evening following his victory against de Minaur. This season, Chardy made back-to-back semifinal runs at Antalya and in the Australian Open to begin the year on a positive note.
Tennis TourTalk asked the 6-foot-2 native of Pau, France, what he could learn about himself, especially after recovering from 1-5 down to come back and beat de Minaur in three sets to reach the third round in Dubai. He began his week in the Emirates with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain on Sunday.
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“I think the really positive thing is I stayed really calm and confident even if he was killing me. He was much better than me in the first set,” Chardy recalled. “I was trying for a solution and I was thinking to try to change and come back. I knew if I didn’t, he was going to beat me in two [sets].
“At the beginning of the second set, I really started to focus and tried to mix my serves and, you know, when you start to keep your service games and try find solutions on the return game, you start to gain more confident and get rid of nervousness. I started to get more confident with my form and it helped change the match.”
Check out these hot shots! @jimchardy beats Alex De Minaur 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last 16 at #DDFTennis @atptour pic.twitter.com/uWRv8TLCUj
— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) March 15, 2021
Chardy agreed with a reporter’s assessment that the win over de Minaur was one of his best victories of the 2021 season. “Guys like Alex are amazing players; he’s really solid. I’m really proud of this win today,” he said. “It’s a little bit like the win over [David] Goffin in Rotterdam [earlier this season]. These two guys are really solid. To beat them, you have to play better than them and play an amazing match.”
As a veteran on the ATP Tour with one singles title, at Stuttgart in 2009, following a successful junior career where he won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships boys’ singles title, Chardy has seen a lot of depth and parity develop among the ATP Tour. “The young are trying to push us out (smiling). We are resisting!” he quipped.
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“Before I started, I think all the players are starting to watch their health [and fitness]. That’s why we can play longer with a better level,” said Chardy, whose previous best Grand Slam singles performance came in 2013 when he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. “Little by little, we can see the young ones are going deep into the tournaments, like Daniil [Medvedev] going to No. 2, like [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Dominic] Thiem. A lot of different players are starting to take part in the Top 10 and be there.
“We have the experience, we’re still motivated. Guys like me, we know we don’t have many more years to play. We have a few more, so I’m trying to enjoy it and give my best on court. I have to say that my kid gives me a motivation to fight and try to do better and win matches for him, too.”
