Serbia is the envy of the tennis world. It’s only the 118th-biggest nation on the planet with a population of a little over seven million people, but its conveyor belt of talent just keeps thundering on uninhibited.
In fact that has been the case for quite a few years now, and it’s no surprise that its team have made it to the quarter-finals of the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia, led, of course, by the World No. 2 and 17-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
A world away in Doha, a 20-year-old tyro once again displayed his amazing potential. After beating third-seeded Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the second round in a late match on Wednesday, Miomir Kecmanovic yesterday blew away qualifier Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
It took him just 55 minutes. With the threat of rain hovering over Qatar, Kecmanovic seemed in a hurry in the second set, relentlessly putting pressure on his Hungarian opponent and hitting winner after winner and close out the match seconds before it started pouring again.
The match had started almost two hours late because of rain in the afternoon, upsetting the tight schedule, and with organisers ending yesterday’s programme at 8.30pm, they were hoping for a sunny Friday to complete the backlog of matches, with players facing the prospect of having to play the quarter-finals and semi-finals in a matter of a few hours.
Kecmanovic, however, had no complaints.
“Yeah, it was pretty good timing, you know,” Kecmanovic said after beating the rain and Fucsovics. “Good thing that I was able to finish before this (rain) happened.”
He could run into second seed Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals, which could turn out to be an “exciting’ clash, according to Kecmanovic.
“I played him a long time ago in juniors, but I haven’t played him since then. But, yeah, it would definitely be an exciting match. But, you know, he still has to win.
“But, yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to coming out again and, you know, to playing my best game.”
Kecmanovic reached the quarter-finals or better four times last season, achieving new career-high rankings 15 times before peaking at World No. 47 in September.
During the off-season, he managed to get some practice with Roger Federer and Djokovic, which helped him fine-tune his game.
“Yeah, I was practising with Roger and Novak, and Karen (Khachanov), too, so it was definitely a good group of guys to practice with.
“And I definitely think I’ve maybe, like, sped up my game a little bit because they take time away for you, you know, so much. And I think I’ve kind of got a little bit used to it and maybe it’s now a little bit easier to play against, you know, some of the other guys.
“But it’s definitely something I still have to work on and definitely, I think, something that will, if I can, you know, let’s say perfect or let’s say be my normal game that I could take it far if that happens.”
After beating Tsonga on Wednesday, Kecmanovic had said he felt a surge in confidence and motivation.
“It was definitely one of my better wins. You know, I’ve had some exciting wins last year. And to start the year off with such a big name, it’s definitely motivating me and giving me a lot more confidence to keep going.”
He saved a few first set points in the match against the Frenchman which he credited to mental strength.
“I try to not panic in those moments and to kind of, I guess, read where the opponent is going to serve. Because all three times I managed to return the first serve in. And, you know, he was serving pretty good. And it was definitely a mixture of both.
“But I’m happy that I was able to stay composed and to be in the moment. And, you know, thankfully, I was to be able win.”
The youngster also spoke on his friendship with Djokovic.
“Yeah, we’re good friends. We practice in Dubai now in the off-season. And he’s a really great guy, you know. He’s somebody that I have learned a lot from.
“And he’s definitely a big inspiration back home for everybody, so it’s really cool to have somebody like him that you can call your friend and that you’re able to talk to him and that he can tell you his advice and his experiences.
“So it’s pretty cool to have him around.”
Today’s Order of Play
Center Court (starts at 1pm)
Corentin Moutet (FRA) vs Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Followed by
1-Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs Aljaz Bedene (SLO)
Followed by
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) or 2-Andrey Rublev (RUS x2)
Followed by
1-Stan Wawrinka (SUI) or Aljaz Bedene (SLO) vs Corentin Moutet (FRA) or Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Court 1 (Play starts 12.30pm)
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) vs 2-Andrey Rublev (RUS)
Note: Doubles also start at 12.30pm
Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic returns during the Qatar ExxonMobil Open match against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics (not pictured) at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil
