Davidovich: “Getting into the top-100 is very, very difficult”

Alejandro Davidovich (Málaga, 21 years old) has passed in 2020 from the position 85 to 52 ranking after winning matches in Australia, US Open and Roland Garros. That will allow him to compete more and at a higher level on the circuit in 2021. Son of Russians, but with an Andalusian accent, chatted with AS about his season and the future that awaits him.

Do you agree that this year has been the best of your career?

Well, I started it regular, because even though I won a Grand Slam match in Australia, I didn't add many more victories. But after quarantine, it is true that I improved and evolved. The truth is that I got good tournaments and I played at a high level. So I am very happy with those triumphs and with my career.

To what extent has your evolution on the circuit changed?

When you go up in the ranking it is because you are doing things quite well. Obviously there are still many steps above, but people are already seeing that I am a new Alex, that I improve every day and that I am not the one from before quarantine.

Have you noticed a change in status on the circuit out of respect for your rivals?

There is something, but this year we were all very hungry. They were all competing very well and wanting to beat everyone. Let's see how the next season starts, in which I hope to be even better.

What have you learned from this course?

Above all to overcome fears. I did not know if I could continue climbing and surpass myself and see what I can has been key.

And at the tennis level, what has improved?

I changed the serve and made it better every week; the reverse is more solid; I'm better on the volleys, I shoot the right better… We are polishing things, but to play well what you have to have is good legs. If I move well and I am physically correct, everything flows better.

His rise in the ranking has allowed him to face more important rivals. Have you been surprised by any in particular?

No one has surprised me. I knew the level of the top-10, but by not playing against them, you don't really know how to measure your shots, measure your physique … When you face them there are details to be polished, and that's where we are.

Was it satisfying to see that you can compete against them?

In Germany I had a match ball against Schwartzman and he escaped me. At the end of that loss I learned more than if I had won 6-2, 6-2. I left annoyed but with a great lesson.

Already have a calendar project?

No, because it's all on air. We don't know if all Australian tournaments will be played in the same city. And even if it's 52, entering will be hard. Hopefully I get rid of those previews that require extra physical effort. I will be in the first tournament there is. I want to compete in everything that comes out, because we don't know if they will confine us again.

Speaking of which, how did you experience the lockdown?

In the end it helped me a lot. Being locked up was a brutal change for me. It helped me to see things differently, to continue working with a routine… I kept all that and when I left I kept it and improved it. That is why the good results came.

What did you do to stay well?

Improve as a person. So I helped my team a lot to work better with me and to be a much more united group. That period helped me a lot to change personally more than as a tennis player. That improvement came to tennis from my head. The first months were a bit of a roll, everything was getting worse and we didn't know if we were going to be able to play this year. Then I started training and time has flown by.

You are helped by a psychologist (Antonio de Dios), are you going to continue with him?

Sure, we've been together for eight years and I've been listening to him and paying attention to him from less to more. Years ago my mind was still out of place and now I see that sports psychology is fundamental, because it solves many frustrations and internal fights that in the end are silly and you should not have them. If I miss a ball, I know that afterwards there is another point, for example. If you train those things, the results are coming.

Do you think this is a common evil among young tennis players?

Well, each one is a world. We all have our different pasts. Mentality in tennis is of very high importance. Then the talent, the physical, influences.

In that sense, who is he looking at?

In Spain we have a player, Rafa Nadal, who is a mental beast. You can learn a lot from him by watching how he manages the matches.

In tennis he has other references …

Yes, in terms of the game we are totally different.

Did you have a hard time managing expectations after winning the junior tournament at Wimbledon?

Yes, I was almost two months without almost holding the racket. I couldn't handle the pressure of being 18, having won Wimbledon and having a lot of eyes on it. But as a result of that I learned a lot, I was accumulating victories and managing them better.

Is it more difficult to get to where you have come in the ranking or to stay now?

Getting into the top-100 is very, very complicated, because there are barriers that must be overcome. The space between 80 and 200 is a wall. Everybody wants to be there. You have to alternate Challenger and ATP, when you are close to 50 you enter higher level competitions with more points to win. The level is very high, because tennis has become very equal. The world's 70th can beat a top-20.