
Henry Bernet, the first Swiss junior champion at the Australian Open, talks about the comparisons with his role model Roger Federer and his future plans and challenges after his return.
Henry Bernet may not yet have much experience in dealing with the media. But the Basel native, who turned 18 on the day he won the final in Melbourne, naturally knows what the public is interested in. "The comparisons with Roger (Federer) are above all motivation," he says in a media round before the Davis Cup match between Switzerland and Spain in Biel right at the start.
"Everyone in Switzerland wants to see the next Roger or the next Stan Wawrinka in action," he emphasizes, "It was clear that there would be comparisons with Roger: the same city, the same club (Old Boys Basel), the same voice, the same one-handed backhand," he says and smiles. "But I concentrate on myself and try not to think about it too much." Would he rather not be from Basel? "No, this is my city," laughs the FC Basel fan.
Congratulations from Wawrinka to Bencic
The young man is eloquent and has a clear head. Of course, he celebrated the title "a little", "in combination with my birthday." He has also received many messages from players, especially from Switzerland: "Stan (Wawrinka), Ben Shelton, Dominic (Stricker), Belinda (Bencic), Viktorija (Golubic) and Marc-Andrea (Hüsler) have written to congratulate me," says the man from Basel, who also received a long congratulatory email from the Federer family.
The tiredness is still noticeable, but the tension has visibly eased and there is no reason to take off: "I'm looking forward to training again and looking ahead. I now have a training block and will then take part in the Challenger in Lugano from February 24 to March 2."
No more gifts
Bernet is ready to make the leap into the professional ranks and those around him know what to expect: "When I coached Dominic Stricker (junior winner of the 2020 French Open), he found the right formula to explain the difference between the junior tour and the Challengers: In the juniors you get gifts, in the Challengers you never do," says Bernet's new coach Sven Swinnen.
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Swinnen replaces the German Kai Stentenbach, who has been coaching the Basel native since he moved to Swiss Tennis in Biel around two and a half years ago. The Basel native's age-related handover went smoothly: "I already accompanied Henry to a few tournaments last year," says Swinnen.
The man from Aargau is aware that the most difficult part of the job still lies ahead, even if the victory in Australia is very promising: "Of course it's great to have won a Grand Slam in the juniors. It's a motivation and inspiration, and it also brings sponsors and media. But the work goes on, you have to keep your feet on the ground and think long-term," says Swinnen.
Henry Bernet knows his strengths and weaknesses, as does his environment. Patience is therefore required when it comes to the new jewel of Swiss tennis, especially as he is "a complete player. So it will take longer for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place," emphasizes Stentenbach, adding that one of the most important areas in which Bernet needs to make progress is his physique. "He needs to become physically stronger," says the former coach.
Impressed by Sinner's muscles
He realized that a fitness coach is a must in the future during the Australian Open, where he was able to observe the best players in the world up close in the changing room. "I saw that I still have a lot of room for improvement physically," admits Bernet. "I was most impressed by Jannik Sinner. I used to think he was thin, but he has impressive muscles."
The Basel native, who recently joined Swiss equipment supplier On, in which Roger Federer has a stake, is in some ways following in the footsteps of Stan Wawrinka and is supported by the same agent as the Vaud native. "My parents and I realized last year that we could no longer cope with the various requests from the media or sponsors," explains the teenager, who is therefore ideally placed to make the leap to the pros. "But I know that the counters are reset to zero when you turn pro."