ATP Tour

Vliegen on Michelsen: 'He wants to be a champion'

Alex Michelsen is enjoying the best tournament of his career at the US Open, where on Tuesday he will compete in a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time against fellow American Frances Tiafoe.

The 22-year-old is a month and a half removed from the start of his hard-court swing, which began far from Arthur Ashe Stadium on the ATP Challenger Tour in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Standing across the net was Aidan Mayo, then the No. 634 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Michelsen’s coach, former World No. 30 Kristof Vliegen, arrived at the event when Michelsen was up a set and play was suspended late in the second set.

“I thought it was going to be an easy day in the office, but that was not the case at all,” Vliegen said. Michelsen ultimately was two points from defeat before triumphing 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(5). The former Next Gen ATP Finals competitor eventually won the tournament.

“After that win [against Mayo], we went on the practice court, talked a lot with each other. And, well, he got wins under the belt and confidence was building and I don't think he's playing better tennis now than two weeks ago or three weeks ago.”

Following Michelsen’s razor-tight opening victory against Mayo, Vliegen’s message was simple: There was no reason to lose confidence.

“There was no reason to start doubting,” Vliegen said. “The only thing he could do was keep on playing, playing matches, as many as you can to be ready for the American swing. And we said the main goal was to be ready for the Open.”

It was not a perfect North American summer for Michelsen. The three-time ATP Tour finalist let slip a match point against Taylor Fritz in the Washington quarter-finals, then fell in three sets to Daniel Merida in Montreal and lost to Fritz again in Cincinnati.

“All year long he has had his level on. But the biggest wins, they were not there,” Vliegen said. “So I think his level all year long has been really good.”

Everything has been building towards this trip to New York, where Michelsen is the only player remaining in the draw who has not dropped a set. Only two of his sets through four matches have gone to a tie-break. His hard work throughout his first season with Vliegen has paid off.

“I discovered that he wants to play tennis every day. He's there. He wants to get better. He has a goal, he wants to be a champion,” Vliegen said. “He wants to be on the court. He's listening to everything, what everybody says, not only me, the whole team, the physical guys. They work with him every day. Every day, he asks the guys, ‘Can I do something more? Do I need to do something more?’”

It has not always been easy for Michelsen, who is currently the No. 46 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. There has been plenty of development, especially during the clay-court season.

According to Vliegen, when Michelsen served for a set against Jannik Sinner in Miami, he went into a “panic mode in his head and he was not looking for a solution”. The rising star has learned from such mistakes and when things go wrong, he is able to steady himself to try to figure out the situation.

Vliegen wants his charge to know that he should be proud of what he has accomplished on court and the effort he has put in. Most of all, Michelsen competes hard day in and day out.

“Disappointment is always very, very, very big when he loses. It’s big. Sometimes too much,” Vliegen said. “But on the other hand, it's better that it hurts him, that he will not make the same mistake the next time it gets to him.”

The Belgian added: “He kept on working, he kept on doing the right things all the time. So for him as an American, to play in the Open — [to not] lose a set and you’re in the quarter-finals — for him, it's really big.”