mtenis.com.pl

Teen has risen more than 100 spots in the ATP Rankings in the past year
Editor's Note: This story was first published 2 August.

Miomir Kecmanovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and he currently resides in Bradenton, Florida. But the #NextGenATP star says that his breakthrough in 2019 could be traced to a different location: Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands.

Last offseason, Kecmanovic, who qualified for this week's Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, joined current World No. 4 Dominic Thiem for a three-week training block on the island, working hard alongside Thiem, German Jan-Lennard Struff and others. Kecmanovic was No. 132 in the ATP Rankings at the time, and it was not easy for him to keep up early on.

“It was tough at the beginning. I was struggling,” Kecmanovic told ATPTour.com. “We had three weeks as we moved, hit, hit and hit more. Towards the end I was adjusted and it felt pretty good.”

It wasn’t the first time Kecmanovic, a former junior World No. 1, had practised with a superstar. The Serbian moved to the United States at 13 to train at the IMG Academy in Florida, where he’d get to practise with players such as Kei Nishikori and Max Mirnyi. In his travels, Kecmanovic even got to hit with the likes of Roger Federer.


But this training block with Thiem and company was different. It changed his mindset. Kecmanovic would qualify for his first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open, and he has not looked back since.

“I really got to see how the top guys play and see their level. After qualifying for Australia I think I just started to believe more that I could do it, that I belonged there,” Kecmanovic said. “It started to go my way.

“[My belief] was definitely something that I was thinking about, but it’s different when it actually happens and [you keep up with them], then you start to believe it when you see that it’s happening. When it started, it was maybe one match, two matches. [Then] I saw that I could play at this level.”

At the BNP Paribas Open, you might have expected World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to be the last Serbian standing. Instead, it was Kecmanovic, who reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final as a lucky loser.

Watch Live

But perhaps the 19-year-old’s biggest moment yet came at the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya, where he reached his first ATP Tour final. Kecmanovic was disappointed to fall short, especially after holding a match point against Lorenzo Sonego. But the Serbian took the positives out of it, cherishing a chance to learn from that moment.

“It definitely was a big experience to play my first final,” Kecmanovic said. “It was tough losing with match point in the final. But it was cool that I was finally able to break through and make a big result at an ATP [event].”

More than any individual result, Kecmanovic’s biggest victory this year has been in his mind. The teenager won many prestigious junior tournaments, but competing on the ATP Tour is a different animal.

“When it starts to happen and you believe, it just gets better and it goes a lot more your way,” Kecmanovic said. “You know that maybe you could do it, that you belong there and then you believe that you’re playing good.”


Kecmanovic is the second-youngest player in the Top 100, trailing only fellow #NextGenATP player Felix Auger-Aliassime. For some rising stars, that creates pressure that could slow their progress. Jimmy Arias, the IMG Academy’s Director of Tennis, and former World No. 5 knows that feeling. The American won all five of his ATP Tour titles before turning 20.

“I had expectations from a very young age and it was made known to me that I had expectations from a lot of different people,” Arias told ATPTour.com. “If the people around [Kecmanovic] are all telling him, 'You’re great, you should be this', some people would have trouble with that being thrust on them… [but] he’s got family right there and he’s had the same coach for a long time. So I just think he’s got a nice little team and they’re focussed on, ‘Let’s keep getting better’ and not, ‘Where are we going to be’?”

You May Also Like: Kecmanovic Feeling So Lucky He's Ready To Play The Lottery
Arias first saw Kecmanovic play about a year and a half ago, before he worked at the academy, where the Serbian still trains. Arias stopped by for a hit, expecting a 14- or 15-year-old practice partner. Instead, Kecmanovic was across the net.

He laughs about it now, but Arias was so nervous about giving the Serbian a solid practice that he shanked the first ball over the fence. Kecmanovic, who didn't know who Arias was at the time, did not utter a peep, and just continued on with the practice.

“At that time, I thought he was great off the ground, very solid. But his serve wasn’t good enough to compete at the highest level... But he has improved his serve enough and his groundstrokes are really solid. He’s tough to beat. He hits the ball deep, consistently, he moves well and obviously competes well,” said Arias, who believes Kecmanovic needs to continue working on his serve, as well as taking advantage of short balls.

It’s easy to forget that 12 months ago, Kecmanovic was ranked only No. 200. Now he’s at a career-high No. 58 with his sights set on the Top 50.

“Obviously I’m excited that it’s happening at such a young age. I’ve worked hard for it and it’s really a dream come true to play at the ATP level. I’m happy that it’s happened so soon,” Kecmanovic said. “A lot of people never see this, they never get to experience this, so I’m very thankful.”

Serbian defeats Ruud in straight sets
Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic opened this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals in style on Tuesday, scoring a 4-3(5), 4-3(5), 4-2 win in a serving duel with Norwegian Casper Ruud in the first match of Group A in Milan.

“I’ve had some experience with this format, so I was prepared for it,” Kecmanovic said. “I served pretty well, so that got me through today. I was able to stay calm and play aggressively.”

Kecmanovic improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Ruud. The 20-year-old has jumped more than 70 spots in the ATP Rankings this year and currently sits at No. 60, with results including his maiden ATP Tour final at the Turkish Open Airlines Antalya (l. to Sonego) and first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final at the BNP Paribas Open.

Read More: Under Pressure, Kecmanovic Already Plays Like A Top 30 Player

Both players held serve comfortably in the first set to set up a tie-break. Ruud started slowly and went down 0/3, but fought back to even the score with a three-point run of his own. But at 4/4, Ruud’s baseline game betrayed him and a pair of errors gifted the Serbian two set points. Kecmanovic continued to control most of the rallies and leaned into a big forehand at 6/5 to take the early advantage.

The second set began identically to the first, with neither player earning a break point to set up another tie-break. It appeared Ruud might level the match after prevailing in a 22-shot exchange to take a 5/3 lead, but Kecmanovic increased the pace on his shots and cracked a big forehand two points later to tie the score. The Norwegian mistimed a forehand at 5/5 and Kecmanovic converted on set point with a big serve for a commanding lead.

A well-timed forehand volley winner from the Serbian gave him the first break point of the match at 2-2 in the third set. He made good on it after a forehand error from Ruud and held serve comfortably to advance in one hour and 16 minutes. Kecmanovic finished the day with an impressive 20 winners to just 10 unforced errors,

Action in Group A continues in Tuesday’s day session as top-seeded Aussie Alex de Minaur takes on Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.