At 17, Molleker Making Most Of Opportunity In Heilbronn

Prior to this week, 17-year-old Rudolf Molleker had never won a match on the ATP Challenger Tour.

But now, the German youngster, appearing in just his third main-draw at Challenger level, is bidding to become the youngest Challenger finalist of 2018 (17 years, seven months).

Expected to rise almost 100 places into the Top 400 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, Molleker has defeated back-to-back seeds at the Heilbronner Neckarcup to reach the semi-finals. The German upset fourth-seeded countryman Yannick Hanfmann and seventh seed Alexey Vatutin in three sets to make headlines at the ATP Challenger Tour’s 2017 Tournament of the Year.

“This is not expected,” admitted Molleker. “But I think that at the moment I’m playing very good tennis. I have now achieved three great wins and you can’t say I was lucky. I know I can beat the top players. We’ve seen that. I just need to be more consistent.”

Inspired by World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who won the title in Heilbronn in 2015, Molleker looks to follow in the footsteps of the three-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist.

“Sascha [Zverev] is an absolutely exceptional player,” said Molleker. “Of course I hope that my career will be similar, but until then I still have a very long way to go.”

It is not just present German stars motivating the 17-year-old as he breaks through at Challenger level however, the Ukraine-born star also received advice from former World No. 1 Boris Becker during a recent German Tennis Federation seminar.

“We talked about the mental part of my tennis,” shared Molleker. “I know that I can have a good technique and strong game, but sometimes it just does not hit me mentally. Boris [Becker] has given me some tips on how to improve myself in this area. That’s the part that I pay special attention to in the game.”

Despite the parallels to Zverev in Heilbronn and the attention from Becker, Molleker does not feel a sense of pressure as Germany’s latest #NextGenATP hope. The 6’1” right-hander displays maturity beyond his years, focussing instead on how the added attention can be of a benefit to his career ambitions.

“I do not see that as pressure, but as possibility,” said Molleker. “Without this, I would not have received a wild card for the Neckarcup. I think I have justified the confidence placed in me by winning and I am glad that the tournament continues for me.”

The #NextGenATP German, who reached his first ATP World Tour main draw at the 2017 German Tennis Championships, plans to spend the majority of this season playing more Challenger events; a tier of the sport that Molleker possesses an added level of appreciation for.

“Together with my coach, we’ve decided that this year I will be mainly playing Challenger tournaments to earn points for the ATP Rankings,” shared Molleker. “I am thankful to be given a wild card here in Heilbronn this week. My next highlight will be Roland Garros juniors in Paris. But I like it better in Challengers. Here, players do better to create points and there seems to be more of a system behind it. You know why you play each ball and where you hit it. I feel that is easier for me.”