‘Pain-free’ in first round – holding back: Stricker ready for Wimbledon premiere

Dominic Stricker is looking forward to his first stint in London’s Sacred Garden.

Just a few days ago, Dominic Stricker was worried about participating in the Wimbledon qualifiers. At the Challenger tournament in Ilkley (GBR), the 20-year-old had to give up a duel against Belgian David Goffin. Stricker suffered back pain after pinching a nerve in Nottingham against Andy Murray.

But now everything looks different: the player from Berne has managed to play his way through 3 qualifying rounds and is in the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time. After slipping as a lucky loser at the French Open in Paris, he has now qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament on his own for the first time.

I feel very good coming back and I think I’m playing harder from baseline than Popperen.

Stricker was also able to clear everything up ahead of his first mission on Wednesday. “After the mission, I took a few days off to control everything. At first it wasn’t easy because I didn’t know where I was. But now I don’t feel any pain, and this is the most important thing, ”he said in an interview with SRF channel.

The world number 117 competes in its premiere at Church Road. Against Australian Alexei Bobyrin, who finished 25th, he was ranked higher. This is another precedent, as the two had never played against each other on tour before.

Still, Stricker knows what he has to be prepared for: “He’s serving great. But I feel very good coming back and I think I’m playing harder from the baseline than he is.” For him, it is a “solvable task” and he will do his best to leave the field as a winner.

At the French Open, he had no chance against Tommy Paul in the first round. That must change at Wimbledon. And if Stricker does indeed win his first major in London, there is likely to be a much larger hurdle to overcome in the second round. With Francis Tiafoe (USA), the number 10 seed is likely to wait.