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Thriving At 30: Gombos Is Out To Prove That It's Never Too Late

  • Posted: Oct 02, 2020

In Norbert Gombos’ home, on the wall behind his bed, is a constant reminder of how far he has come and precisely what he is striving for every day.

It is an abstract painting. More specifically, the trophy from his ATP Challenger Tour title in Orleans, France, in 2017. It is acrylic on canvas, depicting a multi-coloured tennis ball with streaks of yellow dripping to the bottom of the frame.

At face value, it’s a beautiful memento from one of Gombos’ seven Challenger titles. But for the Slovakian, it represents much more. Exactly three years ago, the victory launched Gombos to a career-high No. 80 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. It was his long-awaited Top 100 breakthrough. Just one year after a surgery had sidelined him for an extended period, the Bratislava native was soaring faster than he could have imagined. But, Gombos would soon come to realize that the fall is even more abrupt than the ascent. All the work to arrive at this moment was followed by a devastating 2018 campaign.

“I had the best moment of my career and one year later, I was almost out of the Top 300,” reflected Gombos. “I was expecting too much from myself all the time. I was very frustrated and low.”

Gombos

With the help of new coach Tibor Toth, Gombos was left to rebuild from scratch. The belief in his game and any confidence he had from his Top 100 breakthrough was dashed. Now, that same painting was not only a reminder of the pinnacle of his career, but also a great source of motivation as he sought to rediscover that level.

Toth had guided Dominik Hrbaty and Sergiy Stakhovsky to the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and he was man tasked with leading Gombos’ resurgence. Three years later, the Slovakian is back. At the age of 30, he is out to prove that it’s never too late to realize your dreams.

This week, Gombos is into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Making his Roland Garros debut, not only did he earn the biggest win of his career over World No. 27 Borna Coric in the first round, but he would follow that with another four-set victory over surging #NextGenATP star Jurij Rodionov.

Having entered the tournament without a win on clay, Gombos will find himself battling 12th-seed and Rome finalist Diego Schwartzman on Thursday. A spot in the Round of 16 is at stake.

“It’s a dream,” Gombos told ATPTour.com “I always wanted to play in a Grand Slam. Perseverance and hard work pays off. It’s not easy to wait such a long time, but trust me, it’s worth it. I’m really happy to have such a wonderful experience in my life, to play with the best players in the world.

“I have nothing to lose. Diego is one of the best players in the world. He is close to the Top 10 and just played the final in Rome, where he beat Nadal. So I’m expecting a really tough match. But [the Coric match] gave me a lot of confidence and showed me that I can play my best tennis here.”

Gombos

For more than a decade, Gombos has fought to earn permanent residence in the Top 100 and gain full-time status on the ATP Tour. After having a taste in 2018, the 30-year-old says that experience made him even hungrier to get back there once again.

“After my miserable season in 2018, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to play good tennis again. My confidence was gone, but when I changed my coach I started from zero again. I was really happy that i was surrounded with people who always trusted in me even in the bad times – my physical coach David Olasz and my new coach Tibor Toth. They were giving me hope to play and motivated me to work even harder. And now I’m playing the best tennis in my life, so I’m really thankful to them.”

Under Toth’s tutelage, Gombos found the road back in 2019. He finished the season as one of just three players with 42 match wins on the ATP Challenger Tour, including titles in Bratislava and Winnipeg. And a quarter-final run at the ATP 500 event in Washington – the Citi Open – reignited that spark of competing at the highest levels.

“I think the biggest challenge is to move up from the Challenger Tour. I am so motivated to play the ATP Tour events, because it’s not easy to get there. The best players in the world are there. That’s the biggest challenge, to compete at these tournaments in the big stadiums and against the best players. That’s why I want to improve my game as much as I can. I have to fight for every point and every result.”

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Gombos after winning the title in his hometown of Bratislava

Gombos didn’t always want to play tennis as a professional. In fact, he did not follow the sport much as a child.

“My father put me on the court and said, ‘You will play tennis.’. I said, ‘What is tennis?’ He was a big sportsman so that is how I ended up here.”

He first picked up a racquet at age eight and Gombos admits that while he was not very good in juniors, his father’s support motivated him to be successful on the professional stage.

“Years later, I was following a lot more tennis, especially Davis Cup. Our best Slovakian players like Karol Kucera, Karol Beck and Dominik Hrbaty made the final [in 2005] so it was a huge achievement for our country. I was even more motivated after that to be like them and to compete against the top players.”

Sitting at No. 106 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, it won’t be long before Gombos is once again competing as a member of the Top 100. A victory over Schwartzman would see him return to the club for the first time since 2017… when he lifted the champions’ painting in Orleans.

Gombos will face Schwartzman on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Thursday afternoon. It will be third match from 11am.


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The Final Frenchman At Roland Garros: 20-Year-Old World No. 239 Hugo Gaston

  • Posted: Oct 01, 2020

#NextGenATP Hugo Gaston arrived at Roland Garros without a tour-level win and his best result on the ATP Challenger Tour was reaching a semi-final. Entering the third round, the World No. 239 is the last Frenchman remaining.

“Very happy to be in the third round. I wasn’t necessarily expecting it,” Gaston said. “But I managed to play very well, to stay concentrated from start to finish without putting too much pressure on myself. Therefore, I’m very happy with the result.”

Five Frenchmen inside the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings started the tournament, with 18 men from the country competing overall. But only 20-year-old Gaston, who earned victories against fellow wild card Maxime Janvier and Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka, made it to the Round of 32. That is tied for the fewest in tournament history (since 1925).

“Of course, I would like there to be more French,” Gaston said. “I’m not going to put extra pressure on myself because I’m the last Frenchman or not. I try to focus on what I am able to do. Of course, it’s better if there are several French, but that’s part of the game.”

The lefty, who takes his inspiration from Rafael Nadal in regards to how the Spaniard carries himself on the court, has nothing to lose, even if all French hopes are pinned on him.

The former junior World No. 2, who won the prestigious Orange Bowl in 2017, plays three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the next round. The 2015 champion is trying to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the ninth time.

“Stan is a great player, a great champion. I have a lot of respect for him. But when I return to the court, I’m going to do everything to win, being respectful, and then see what comes out,” Gaston said. “Of course I remember when he won here, I’m a fan of tennis in general, so I watch the sport a lot. Obviously, this final, I watched it, and it was very inspiring. But when I’m going to be on the court, I’m going to do everything to win.”

Pierre-Hugues Herbert was one of the last Frenchmen to fall, losing a tough five-setter against recent US Open finalist Alexander Zverev on Wednesday evening. Herbert was happy to see his younger countryman enjoying success at their home Grand Slam.

“It’s a good run for him. He’s a really, really nice kid,” Herbert said. “[He is] working hard and [he is] really talented on court. I’m really happy for him to be in the third round. I hope it’s just a beginning for him.”

Gaston knows he has a big opportunity against one of the best players of this generation. If the lefty springs the upset, the spotlight on him will grow even brighter. But he isn’t worrying about that, preferring to focus on what he can control.

“I concentrate on what I am able to do, on what I know I can do. I try to enjoy and to give everything. Afterwards, if I have the opportunity to win, I will try to grab it, but I don’t put any extra pressure on myself,” Gaston said. “I’m still pretty cool about it.”

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