
Tristan Schoolkate remembers watching the highlights of an April 2019 ATP Challenger Tour match between two teenagers, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz was victorious that day in three sets and both players have since become No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and won multiple Grand Slam tournaments.
“They're both doing pretty decent now,” Schoolkate told ATPTour.com, cracking a laugh.
Now the 23-year-old Australian will stand across the net from Sinner on Wednesday in the second round of the Australian Open. Schoolkate owns two tour-level match wins and Sinner has two major trophies. The daunting task has not dimmed the home favourite’s excitement, though.
“It's fantastic. I've got nothing to lose,” Schoolkate said. “To play a World No. 1, it's pretty crazy, pretty cool. I'm going to give my best shot, and I believe I can win the match. I'm going to go out there and have a crack and do everything I can. And if it's good enough, it's good enough. If it's not, it's not. We'll go have a good time.”
Schoolkate made his major main draw debut at last year’s US Open, where he rallied from two sets down to oust Taro Daniel before falling to Jakub Mensik in a fifth-set tie-break. Taking on the World No. 1 in Sinner is a different challenge, though.
“Obviously I've seen a lot of him play. A few of my mates have hit with him. But he's obviously doing some really good things at the moment. He's playing great,” Schoolkate said. “He's the best tennis player in the world right now. So I'm sure, not only have I seen a lot of him, I'm sure the whole world has seen a lot of his tennis.
“I'm sure him and his coaches are working really hard to keep improving. I think that's impressive about him as well. It's impressive that number ones in the world, they still try and change things . Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, obviously, now Alcaraz and Sinner, they're always trying to get better and better, even at the top, which I think is a great trait. He's pretty humble, so he's doing really, really big things and doing awesome results.”
The No. 173 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has come a long way to make his Australian Open main draw debut. He began playing tennis aged four, which was natural given his father Peter was a tennis coach.
“It was all about the enjoyment, though. I was just playing. I was playing a bit of soccer, football as well, up until probably the age of 14,” Schoolkate said. “Tennis was always probably more enjoyable, or I think I was having a bit more success. Kept playing and stayed in normal school, played tennis throughout and played the junior Grand Slams after finishing school, and then it's just been continually getting a bit better.”
Growing up in Perth, Schoolkate was around professional tennis from a young age. The Aussie was a ball kid at the Hopman Cup, where he worked matches for the like of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and John Isner.
“I was a massive fan of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He was probably my favourite player when I was growing up. Also loved watching Nadal,” Schoolkate said. “So that was pretty cool. Obviously, [Jo] was my idol, I was watching him all the time. Still remember his Aussie Open run as well.
“But then to go from that to a bit of a hitting partner, and then hit with John Isner was kind of funny, too. Now I'm playing the tournaments that they were playing. So it's a pretty long journey, but it's pretty cool.”
Schoolkate would not mind bringing a bit of Tsonga-like flavour to the court when he takes on Sinner in the second round of the Australian Open. He is the type of player to embrace the crowd and harness its energy rather than shy away from the pressure.
“The way [Jo] could get the crowds going, he was so exciting to watch. I loved the way he'd keep coming forward, [hit] diving volleys or just do a bit more exciting stuff compared to some of the rest,” Schoolkate said. “I've watched his highlights against Nadal in the semis of AO a ridiculous amount of times. And that way of tennis, when I want to take it to people, I think of that game. I think it was pretty cool.
“When I was a ball kid for him, I was not starstruck, but it was just so sick for me. And then, obviously I was a pretty big tennis fan all my upcoming. I'd pretend to hit against the wall as if I was playing against Nadal, Federer, Hewitt, those guys.”
Off the court, Schoolkate spends plenty of time searching for the best coffee he can find and also enjoys turning on his Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. “It gets me switched off of what I'm doing on the court, and lets me just be a normal person for a bit,” he said. “I just try and relax and kick back as much I can.”
The No. 145 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings likes to watch Netflix. He really enjoyed Prison Break and Suits, a series he has tuned into “a ridiculous amount of times”.
What would the Aussie want new fans to know as they watch him try to stun the top-ranked player in the world?
“I think I'm just a pretty normal guy,” Schoolkate said. “I love the sport of tennis, love competing, and I try my best every day."