Luxembourg's Chris Rodesch may have bowed out in the first round of his Wimbledon debut, but the 23-year-old says the Grand Slam experience has left him more confident than ever as he eyes bigger tournaments ahead.
After successfully making it through Wimbledon's qualifying rounds, Luxembourg tennis talent Chris Rodesch took to the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the very first time on Monday. Despite losing the encounter against Christian Garin from Chile, the 23-year-old Luxembourger says he is full of confidence and ready to get straight back into the game.
Speaking to RTL after he match, Rodesch showed clear satisfaction with his performance: "I'm extremely happy with the level I played at. I believe I gave myself real chances to win the match, but he played extremely well in the key moments."
The 23-year old acknowledges the importance of his first appearance on such a big tournament for his own development as a professional: "I may have paid some dues today, but I'm happy to have been part of this tournament, even just to have had this experience. And I do think this will be extremely valuable going forward."
Rodesch praised his opponent, Chilean player Christian Garin, for his strategic and physical approach to the match, serving some shots that were tough to counter. While Rodesch admitted he did not perform as well in key moments as he had during the qualifiers, he remains grateful for the opportunity.
Head held high
Although his Wimbledon journey ended in the first round of the main draw, Rodesch thinks that he has proven that he can hold his own against high-ranking opponents: "I can leave this tournament with confidence, I played some really strong opponents and held up well."
Looking ahead, the young professional has clear goals for the coming weeks, including a challenger tournament in Spain. That said, he seems to be reassessing his plans since his ranking is set to change.
And with an improved ranking, the tennis pro might qualify for two ATP Masters 1000 events: "I might be able to enter the qualifiers for Toronto and Cincinnati. But of course, the big one is the US open qualification."
The Luxembourger is now focused on preparing as best as he can for the next major matches.
