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Serbian is the fourth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this year

Following in the footsteps of Santiago champion Thiago Seyboth Wild, Miomir Kecmanovic on Sunday became the second #NextGenATP player this year to capture his maiden ATP Tour crown. The 21-year-old claimed his fifth victory of the week against Yannick Hanfmann to capture the Generali Open trophy in Kitzbühel.

Kecmanovic had already shown signs that he was ready to claim his first tour-level crown earlier this year. The 2019 Antalya runner-up reached semi-finals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha and the New York Open.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 47 after his victory to talk about his title run, what he learned after his first final appearance last year and what he got up to during his time away from the ATP Tour.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It means a lot [to win my first ATP Tour title]. I worked so hard for this. I am definitely happy that I was able to achieve it so quickly.

<a href='/en/players/miomir-kecmanovic/ki95/overview'>Miomir Kecmanovic</a> is the second #NextGenATP player to capture an ATP Tour title this year.

Did the experience of already playing an ATP Tour final in Antalya help you at all today?
Mentally it was a tough one [in Antalya]. I had match point and didn’t end up winning so it was really a heartbreak. I have had a lot of experiences since then, played a lot more tougher matches and I think that definitely paid off.

Your best results have typically come on faster surfaces. Are you doing anything differently on the clay this year?
I am surprised. Usually I play a lot better on faster surfaces. Here it is a little bit faster than normal clay courts, because we are at altitude. I think that worked to my advantage a little bit. I am really happy that I am able to win my first title on clay.

Are you surprised to pick up where you left off with your game after six months of no matches?
Maybe a little bit, because two months ago I broke an arm. I didn’t think I was going to come back so quickly and play such good tennis. I am really happy that I was able to bounce back from that in a relatively short period of time.

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Has the time away made you view your career or life on Tour any differently?
I think it made me just appreciate it a bit more because, when we play, everything happens so quickly and you don’t really think about it. We had such a long time of not doing anything and you really appreciate the opportunities we get as tennis players.

Talk about what you did during the ATP Tour suspension. How did you manage to keep working on your game and fitness?
I just practised the whole time. I took some breaks between, but I was usually just practising. Nothing too crazy, just keeping in shape and staying ready for when the Tour resumed.

Did you pick up any new interests or skills during those five months?
I have done a lot more reading back home than I normally do. I tried to do as much of the things that I couldn’t do while I was playing, from cleaning up the house to random things like going outside and learning how to ride a motorcycle. Some crazy stuff.

The 21-year-old will work with the former World No. 3 for a trial period during the Latin American swing
Miomir Kecmanovic is a man who knows what he wants. Despite his young age of 21, the Serbian has felt for a few months that his career has a lot more to offer.

The No. 41 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings decided he wanted to add someone to his team, but he wasn’t about to pick a name from a hat. Kecmanovic thought of former World No. 3 David Nalbandian, one of his favourites whom the Serbian has followed since he started playing tennis.

What happened next? Kecmanovic decided to write to him personally, tell him about his idea and to see how they could start working together. Having spoken several times over the phone, they finally met this week at the Cordoba Open to start a trial period together during the Latin American clay-court swing.

“It means a lot to me to have David with me now. He was one of the best of his generation and his experience could really help me a lot," Kecmanovic told ATPTour.com after their first training session together. “I watched him play for many months on television. I remember a lot of his matches, seeing them on YouTube, when he beat the Big Three. That was incredible.

“I hope to be able to work with him a lot. He’s already mentioned some ideas to me. I hope to go far this week, but it’s important to learn, to be able to progress and we’ll gradually change and the results will take care of themselves."


The Serbian will continue to work with longtime coach Miro Hrvatin. Is there anything in particular he’d like to copy from the Argentine?

“We’re hoping my backhand might be similar to his," Kecmanovic said, cracking a laugh.

These are new experiences for Nalbandian, too. This is the first time he is back at a tournament as a coach.

“I’m happy to be involved in tennis again in some way, being with Miomir and trying to contribute and help with what they need and for him to grow as a player," Nalbandian explained, adding that he had to search every nook and cranny of his house for his racquets because he couldn’t remember where he had put them. “They were in the garage," he joked.


The former World No. 3 followed Kecmanovic’s recent matches on television and at their first meetings he chose to start building some chemistry.

“These days before the tournament we have to try and find some good feelings [so that you] feel comfortable and enjoy yourself. We’ll take it bit by bit, gradually adding more, better things," the Cordoba native told his pupil.

“He’s a young boy with good potential and I’ll try to improve him as a player," Nalbandian said. “It’s a way of trying a few weeks out, in Cordoba, Buenos Aires and Santiago and then we’ll look at the schedule."

Since winning his first ATP Tour crown at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel last September, something changed for Kecmanovic. “I didn’t change anything specific, but it made me start to believe in myself more and to know that I belong to another level," Kecmanovic said. “Now I’m very happy to have David and for him to join the team, I think he can help me a lot with my game and to keep improving. Hopefully together we can take the next step.

“It’s always nice to visit a new country and play a tournament for the first time… the idea of coming here was to start working with David, meet each other and to start working on things together”.

For the moment, Kecmanovic said he would like to become one of the Top 30 players in the world, but he is in no rush to get there. “My biggest dream is to be a Top 10 player, and to win a Grand Slam someday," he admitted.

Meanwhile, off the courts, he has already received some words of wisdom from Nalbandian on the best beef in the world: “The beef is incredible here. It’s phenomenal and David took us to some places and he knows what’s good."