TennisEurope.org caught up with the 16 & Under #1 player Petros Chrysochos of Cyprus following his appearance at the recent Tennis Europe Junior Masters and coronation as Player of the Year...
Congratulations on being named Player of the Year. What does it mean to you?
It means a lot, especially because last year I finished in second place as a 14 & Under. Also, it’s the first time that Cypriot has won the award. I’m very proud of my country, and also the work that I have done – and my parents, my coach…so it’s a great feeling.
You recently played at the Junior Masters. How do you feel about your performance there?
It was a new experience for me because it’s the first time I played at the Masters, so it was great. I felt good, my adrenaline was high. I played against some very good players from Spain and Ukraine. It was a tough draw. I didn’t win, but third place overall was still good for me. Generally it was a great experience. I could have done better, but never mind...
Tell us about your training schedule when you’re at home.
Well, Cyprus is very small, not too many players come out of there. We are about 700,000 people and I train in Larnaca. We only have two or three very good players, so I can’t always train at the highest level very day. It’s more difficult for me because other players from bigger countries have better players to play against, so they get better every day. I have my school as well, so in the mornings I cannot practice. I try to play as much as I can in the afternoon. My coach is supporting me, my family…and I try to do my best.
Coming from a small country with one very well-known player, do you feel pressure to be the ‘next Baghdatis’?
At home many people tell me,”Oh, you will be the next Baghdatis”, but no; I will be the next Petros. I want to be myself. Of course I would like to be like him; he’s a great player, a Top 30 player for a long time. It’s a challenge for him because he is alone – Spain has like 300 players, but Cyprus has only one. I would like to achieve what he has achieved, but that’s not my goal; I want to do even better.
What has been the highlight of this season for you?
I think Montecatini in Italy was my favourite tournament. It was the second Category 1 event that I played. I played against the guy who beat me in this tournament in the final [Jaume Munar Clar of Spain]; I beat him on that occasion. It was a great tournament and it boosted my confidence for the rest of the year, so that’s why I have been playing so good.
What about your time on the ITF Touring Team?
It was my second time, I also took part last year, but this year was an amazing experience. Four tournaments, one month, and we had a four-day practice session before the tournaments. It was great because it’s very demanding. You play Category 1 tournaments every day, very difficult events. You have to be consistent all of the time. In some tournaments you may not have to face a really good opponent until the semi-finals, but at the Category 1s you can play very good players from the first round until the final.
Did you enjoy the team aspect?
Absolutely. The coaches, Goran [Shevchenko] and Irina [Chichmarova], understand so much. They were telling me things that I didn’t even know about tennis. There were ten of us players in total – 6 boys and 4 girls, and there was such a good team spirit. You have to be together all the time, it was like a family. That was a great experience for me.
What are your plans for next year?
Well, at the beginning of the year I am hoping to go to the Australian Open, hopefully if I get a good ranking. At the moment I’m around #170, so I hope to go towards the Top 100. There is another Cypriot player, Sergis Kyratzis. He is a great player so I hope that we can go to Australia together. Then I hope to go with the ITF team again, hopefully they will choose me. The tour is for one month in South America, Category 1 and 2 ITF events, so that would be great. But next year no more Tennis Europe Junior Tour, it’s time for the next step!