Comeback kid Kubler
WHEN it comes to dealing with an unlucky break or two, Australian tennis player Jason Kubler is well-versed at confronting misfortune and rebounding.
Once considered the world’s most promising junior, the Queenslander is among those vying for an Australian Open spot at a qualifying tournament in the Middle East.
The 27-year-old, who edged Australian Davis Cup stalwart and training partner Matt Ebden 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying, has endured an injury-plagued career.
One of three Australian winners on the opening day, Kubler now plays Ukrainian veteran Sergiy Stakhovsky for a spot in the final round.
Former top junior Rinky Hijikata and Ellen Perez were the other Australians to progress to the second round on the opening day of the event.
Bernard Tomic is among the Australian players who will contest opening round matches on the second day of the tournament to decide the 16 qualifiers from both draws who will fly to Melbourne at the end of the week.
A former junior world No 1, Kubler was forced by chronic knee soreness to build his ranking on the softer clay courts through the Americas and Europe until the discomfort became too much.
Living in Brisbane with a shrinking bank account and coaching kids for a crust in 2017, the right-hander opted to have a crack at a local professional tournament on hard court.
He won. And kept winning as his knees held up.
By July of 2018, the baseliner was playing well enough to qualify for Wimbledon, where he was a semi-finalist in the junior boys singles in 2011.
A top 100 breakthrough followed and Kubler earned a nomination for the ATP Tour’s Comeback of the Year award.
But an ankle injury suffered at the US Open a couple of months later was the start of another run of sustained injury battles.
Since then Kubler has been forced to deal with wrist and elbow injuries, along with restrictions related to the pandemic shutdown, while trying to keep his career afloat.
Having not played a tour match since March — though he did claim a pro series event in Brisbane in July — Kubler said it was “crazy to be in that situation again”.
“I just tried to dig in and play well on the big points,” he said.