Harry in a hurry on the road to Wimbledon
WHILE the world’s top tennis players descend on Wimbledon for the third grand slam of the year on Monday, Harry Bourchier will be on another continent making his return from injury. On a fleeting visit home, the Tasmanian tells the
Mercury about life on the Challenger Tour, and how his self-belief to reach the upper echelons has not wavered.
WHEN arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament begins on the hallowed All England Club turf next week, one Tasmanian will be preparing for his return to the lower levels of the sport.
The Challenger Tour in America might be as far away from the glitz and glamour of Wimbledon imaginable, but it is where Harry Bourchier will begin his comeback following a near three month lay-off with injury.
Bourchier has not played on the ATP’s secondary professional circuit since suffering an abdominal strain in April.
Now fully healed and ready to resume, the talented 22year-old is eager to get back into the swing of things to start rebuilding his ranking, which has slipped to 550.
“I went over to the States and about two weeks in I got injured, so I wasn’t able to really get the results I wanted,” Bourchier told the Mercury on a brief visit to Hobart before jetting to the US this weekend.
“I had strained my ab, it is a pretty frustrating injury because it is not a very big muscle but it does everything.
“There really isn’t any way around it, it’s not like a sore ankle that you can tape up and get over it. I have been nurturing it pretty much for the last 10-11 weeks. It hasn’t been easy but I have played a few smaller tournaments around Australia to fill in time.
“I was pretty annoyed my trip came short last time as there was a whole bunch of tournaments in a row. There are tournaments every week but some weeks there is more, so it makes the fields a bit weaker and it can be easier to go deep.”
Tennis can often be an isolating sport, especially on the Challenger circuit hopping from city to city.
The prizemoney pales into comparison when stacked against the grand slams and top-tier ATP events, and often the only way to climb the rankings is to cram as many tournaments into a schedule as possible.
Bourchier doesn’t shy from the fact it can at times be a grind, but he has unwavering belief that with a solid stretch of results and a much-needed slice of luck on the injury front, he can put himself into a position to unlock the doors to more lucrative fields.
He points to the fact that he has grown up alongside many of the emerging “next gen” players on tour — including Croat Borna Coric, who toppled Roger Federer in Halle last weekend — and more than held his own.
“I played all the junior grand slams and I have been to a few high-level tournaments. I know what it is like at the high end,” Bourchier said.
“To be honest, the level is very similar, even though the rankings are 400-odd [on the Challenger Tour].
“It just comes down to a few key moments in a match that can be make or break.
“Even these top guys playing in the same tournaments I am at, the Challengers, there is always a few top-100 players.
“It isn’t always what you think it is, of course they get the grand slams and all that but they have to do the hard work as well.
“You look at the top 100 at the moment, the average age is 27, I’m 22, so on paper I have time.
“I feel I just haven’t had that moment yet. It only takes a few weeks, a few good results and you can be inside the top 200, 100.
“A lot of the guys my age are pushing along now, I grew up alongside those guys and have beaten most of them that are competitive.
“Borna Coric, who beat Federer [in the final at Halle], I’ve beaten him a couple of times.”
For the past year Bourchier has been joined on the road by brother Eddie, an accomplished player himself who attended the US college system.
It has helped ease the burden of solo travel, but there is no extra motivation required for the goals Harry wants to achieve.
“At the top level you have people around you telling you that you’re doing well. At my level, you don’t have those extra people.
“It is more a lot of drive from yourself, you don’t have to go to the gym, you don’t have to practise.
“But in my instance it pushes you more. If you are not going to do that then there really is no point even trying.
“It is tough at times and is a bit of a rollercoaster, I suppose that is the best terminology for it, just because there are so many highs and lows.
“Even at my level, there are lots of highs and they outweigh the lows of the game.”
It is tough at times and is a bit of a rollercoaster, I suppose that is the best terminology for it, because there are so many highs and lows.
— HARRY BOURCHIER