If you’re going to have a hitting partner, there isn’t a much better option than Roger Federer.
Rising ATP Challenger Tour player Zhizhen Zhang got to hit with the tennis legend earlier this year during the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo, and has tried to use that experience to further his game. The 19 year old also has former World No. 4 Ivan Ljubicic on his side as an agent, helping him to navigate the rigours of men’s tennis.
“It was huge for me because I’m such a big fan of Roger. It lasted 90 minutes and I was so nervous before the hitting session. He encouraged me to keep improving and it was such a great experience,” said Zhang. “I love working with Ivan [Ljubicic] as well. He’s helping me be more smart on the court and become a real professional tennis player.”
Competing at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Nanchang, China, Zhang also recorded his first main draw win at a Challenger this year by defeating Blake Mott of Australia in a three-set opening round. After competing regularly in Challengers, he’s developed friendships with many players on tour who were pleased with his win.
“For players competing in Nanchang, I know Fajing Sun and Yecong He, especially Sun. We’ve been friends since we were 10 years old,” said Zhang. “I’m also quite close to Daniil Medvedev, but his [Emirates ATP] Ranking is mucn higher than mine, so I need to keep pushing myself to catch him.”
Zhang made headlines last year by coming through qualifying and winning his opening round at the Shenzhen Open. He also scored a Top 100 win the following week over Ricardas Berankis at the China Open.
Just as he was reaching a new level in his tennis, Zhang fractured a bone in his foot during a training session at the end of last year. After two months of rest didn’t help, he underwent surgery at the beginning of this season.
The rising Chinese star admitted he hasn’t played his best tennis for most of this year due to not being able to properly train. But now that he’s fully healthy, he’s ready to regain the form he showed at this time last year and continue making a push towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
“Ivan and the Shanghai tennis team are always optimistic for me. They think it’s normal for a young player like me to come across this problem, but I don’t want to disappoint them or myself,” said Zhang. “I’m starting to play better, but the main thing is to not put too much pressure on myself during this upcoming Chinese season.”
