ÖTV junior strong

Schwärzler in the junior quarter-finals in Paris!

Joel Schwärzler

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Joel Schwärzler from Vorarlberg has reached the quarter-finals of the junior competition at the French Open!

The 18-year-old beat Spain's Rafael Jodar 7:5, 6:3 on Wednesday and will now face the Czech number 10 seed Petr Brunclik for a place in the semi-finals. Schwärzler, seeded No. 2, will also be coached by Jürgen Melzer in what could be his last Junior Grand Slam, having achieved his greatest Major success at Roland Garros.

Melzer: "Always nice to come back here!"
In 2010, the Lower Austrian defeated Novak Djokovic in the Paris quarter-finals in five rounds after trailing 2-0 in sets, handing the Serb an unusual defeat in this form. "Always nice to come back here," said ÖTV Sports Director Melzer in an interview for the event homepage. "But coming back as a coach is different. You have a long-term goal, you want to develop your player. But at the same time, when you coach someone like Joel, he also comes here to win the tournament."

Schwärzler: "The pressure is quite high for me!"
After his first tournament matches, Schwärzler is aware that he will probably be watched even more than before the start of the tournament. "There are a lot of good players here, but I'm sure they see me as one of the favorites. That's why I have to play really focused, most of them have nothing to lose. The pressure is quite high for me. But that's how it's always been for me up to now and that's how it should be. It's all about how you deal with it."

Melzer once again emphasized that he doesn't see many limits with his protégé. "He can accelerate the ball really well. He can hit winning shots from both sides, which helps a lot in today's tennis. And he moves okay for his size, but there is still room for improvement." Schwärzler, a left-hander like Melzer, described the 42-year-old as more than just his coach. "It's more than just this connection, we're good friends."