"Of course, if you live in Switzerland, my one big idol had to be Roger Federer" - Dominic Stricker ahead of his debut at Next Gen ATP Finals
Dominic Stricker is set to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals in the 2022 edition, qualifying alongside the likes of Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper, among others.
In a recent interview with the ATP, the World No. 116 spoke about his experiences while training with tennis legend and fellow Swiss Roger Federer. He believes that his time with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who naturally became his idol, will help him find inspiration at difficult moments in the tournament.
"Of course, if you live in Switzerland; My one big idol had to be Roger Federer,” said Stricker. “Roger is Swiss and has a pretty similar game to how I would like to play.”
Stricker's coach Sven Swinnen, who was Federer's practice partner back in the day as a teenager at the Swiss National Federation, added that Stricker was "lucky" to have spent time practicing with the former World No. 1, where he received valuable pointers from the 41-year-old.
“It is lucky,” said Stricker’s coach, Sven Swinnen "Roger invited Dominic to Dubai twice already to do some practice, some pre-season stuff, so that was really helpful. Roger knows us now pretty well and we got some really good tips from him.”
Stricker was all praise for his fellow competitors at the Next Gen ATP Finals and seemed excited to meet the challenge, noting that it was good to see so many players his age have a breakthrough so soon.
"Alcaraz and Sinner are so young,” Dominic Stricker said."They are playing so good at the moment, it’s good to see that already guys my age, they can make the breakthrough. Holger Rune as well. It’s great to see, and then you know that you can maybe also get there in a few years or whenever."
“These guys are doing a great job and I don’t see that there’s a big gap between us, but I just have to keep doing my thing and it will come, I hope.” he added
"It means a lot and I think it means you’ve had a pretty good year"- Dominic Stricker on making the cut at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals
In the same interview, Dominic Stricker spoke enthusiastically about gaining his spot at the tournament in Milan, stating that it felt "special" to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals.
"It’s a special tournament, for sure, if you reach it. It’s something great, it means a lot and I think it means you’ve had a pretty good year, if you’re in the Top 8 of these young guys. It’s something special for sure." Dominic Stricker said
Stricker, who turned pro in 2021, has had a good season with two ATP Challenger Tour titles and a 4-5 record at ATP Tour events. His most notable wins this season came against Aslan Karatsev, Botic van de Zandschulp and twice against Maxime Cressy. He is currently scheduled to play in the quarterfinals of the Challenger Bergamo in Italy.