Zachary Svajda
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Born | November 29, 2002 La Jolla, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Turned pro | 2019 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | David Nainkin Chase Custer |
| Prize money | US$ 223,581 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–4 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 255 (10 October 2022) |
| Current ranking | No. 255 (10 October 2022) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 2R (2021) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–0 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 664 (8 August 2022) |
| Current ranking | No. 669 (15 August 2022) |
| Last updated on: August 15, 2022. | |
Zachary "Zach" Svajda (/ˈsvaɪ.də/ SVY-duh;[1] born November 29, 2002) is an American professional tennis player.[2] He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 255 on 10 October 2022.
Early life and background
A native of San Diego, California, Svajda took up tennis at the age of 2, initially coached by Matt Hanlin.[3] He has taken a fairly unique path towards becoming a professional tennis player. He has not followed traditional tennis development steps such as competing in junior tournaments, joining a tennis academy, or playing in college within NCAA leagues. Instead, he has followed his own independent path that included having a college tennis player living with his family and practicing with him as early as when he was eight years old.
Even currently, he does not follow a regular tennis circuit. He will play in a Challenger level tournament only to skip several following Challenger tournaments. As the opportunity arises he may enter on an ad hoc basis a ATP tournament as a wild card.
He earned his first ATP World Tour ranking point at the age of 15, defeating top-seeded Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva of Brazil 6–3, 6–4 at the 2018 Claremont Club Pro Classic as a local main-draw wild card.[4]
Tennis style and temperament
He is right-handed with a two-handed backhand like the vast majority of professional tennis players. By today's standards, he is much shorter than the average tennis professional. His game is not grounded with a formidable serve like many of his counterparts. Instead, he has developed an all around game including a very proficient defense and counter punching game. His backhand is very strong. In some positions on the court, it can be even stronger than his forehand. This makes him handle left-handers' games much more easily than your usual right-hander. His strong backhand also allows him to withstand any forceful attacking shots struck by taller players.
Unlike the majority of professional tennis players, he shows virtually no emotion on the court. He seems to have mastered the mental game aspect of tennis at an unusually young age. In interviews, he is often asked about his temperamental predisposition. And, he answers that it is just part of his nature. He has always behaved the same way on a tennis court since the very beginning.
Professional career
2019: ATP and Grand Slam debut
On August 11, 2019, Svajda defeated Govind Nanda 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 to win the USTA Boys 18s National Championship. This victory earned the 16-year-old a wild card into the main draw of the 2019 US Open, making him the youngest player to play in the men's US Open since Donald Young in 2005.[5] There, despite succumbing to full-body cramps in a five-set first round loss to Paolo Lorenzi, he drew attention as a future prospect in American professional tennis for his solid ground strokes and adept net play.[6]
2021: First Major win at the US Open
After defeating Ben Shelton 6–1, 6–4, 6–1 to defend his Boys 18s National Championship title, Svajda was given another wildcard into the US Open.[7] There, ranked world No. 716, he beat world No. 81 Marco Cecchinato to progress to the second round[8] before bowing out against 13th seed Jannik Sinner in four tight sets.[9] The latter was an unexpectedly close match between two young players with a differential in ranking of over 700 spots.
ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals
Singles: 4 (4–0)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 2021 | M25 Austin, USA | World Tennis Tour | Hard | Eduardo Nava
|
6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jun 2022 | M15 Los Angeles, USA | World Tennis Tour | Hard | Brandon Holt
|
7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Jul 2022 | M15 Fountain Valley, USA | World Tennis Tour | Hard | Sekou Bangoura
|
6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 4–0 | Oct 2022 | Tiburon, USA | Challenger | Hard | Ben Shelton
|
2–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
References
- ^ "Zachary Svajda". ATPTour.com. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ "Zachary Svajda ITF Bio". itftennis.com. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "PRATT: Getting to Know US Open Wild Card Zach Svajda". USTA Southern California. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Fifteen-Year Old Zachary Svajda Shocks Top Seed At Claremont Club USTA Pro Classic". Tennis Tour Talk. September 13, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ Pratt, Steve (August 26, 2019). "USTA Boys' Nationals winner Zach Svajda primed for Grand Slam debut". USOpen.org. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Waldstein, David (August 27, 2019). "In Zachary Svajda, U.S. Men See a Glimmer of Hope (Even in Defeat)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ "Zachary Svajda, Ashlyn Krueger earn 2021 US Open wild cards after USTA National Championships titles". US Open.
- ^ "2021 US Open Round 1, By the Numbers". US Open.
- ^ "Sinner holds off Svajda for spot in US Open third round". US Open.
External links
- {{ATP}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- {{ITF profile}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.