Finland’s Davis Cup opponent, Austria, chose a different playing platform. Harri Heliövaara dreams of meeting the bad boy of tennis.
Joel Sippola,
Petra Manner
A tennis player Harri Heliövaaran the expression speaks volumes when he is asked about the game movement of Austria, Finland’s future Davis Cup opponent. If Finland wins Austria, it advances to the second qualifying round, i.e. to the top 15.
The matches of the qualifying round will be played between the countries next year in January-February. Austria came up with a slightly interesting arrangement, as the matches are rarely played in the hall with a crowd.
The game platform in question cannot be found anywhere in Finland.
– It is a difficult place for Finns, because there is no interior mass in Finland. Mass is not a favorite platform for our players, which is why Austria has certainly made that choice.
According to Heliövaara, the choice is so special that Austria also does not have mass field specialists.
– They have made this choice to disturb us. I hope it bothers them too. The inner mass is always made on site. There is pressure on the home team to make a decent pitch.
Without two singles peaks
For Finland, the Davis Cup is currently a very attractive tournament due to its great success in recent years. A couple of years ago Jarkko Nieminen the skippered five historically reached the semi-finals.
Last year too, the team was in the top 16, where it fought without Emil Ruusuvuorta.
The long-time number one player in Finnish tennis has been on a long break since the summer due to physical and mental overload. Ruusuvuori recently told Urheilui that he is not in training against Austria.
Ruusuvuori announced at the same time that he was successful in the doubles Henri Kontinen is his new coach. He does not yet know exactly when he will return to the racing fields.
On the same day, the disturbing news of Finland’s other brilliant singles player was reported Otto Virtanen about the situation. A 23-year-old man has heart and breathing problems.
– It cannot be avoided that the level in Finland is narrow. Both guys are in the top 100 right now, which is a top situation if they are in shape. Then we will be able to challenge any country in the world. It will be more difficult without them.
– When I play myself, I have to focus only on my own plot and trust that the other players will stretch to record-breaking performances, says Heliövaara.
Heliövaara admits that after the group stages, everything else is currently disappointing.
– When you’ve been in the top four, of course you’ll try to repeat it or make it better the following year. However, the competition is fierce. It’s hard to get to the finals.
Boys win
The past year was great for Harri Heliövaara. He celebrated his match of Henry Patten with the victory of the classic Wimbledon tournament.
The 35-year-old Heliövaara is nominated for Athlete of the Year, and the Finn’s Wimbledon victory is also nominated for the most inspiring sports moment of the year.
Next year’s first grand slam tournament will be played as usual in January in Australia. Heliövaara has great memories from Melbourne in 2007, when he won the Australian Open boys’ doubles.
On the adult side, the tournament in question has been the most difficult of the four big ones for him. In Wimbledon, he has won the championship. In France and the United States, Heliövaara has reached the quarter-finals.
In Australia, he has reached the 2nd round three times at best.
– That doubles win was the most memorable thing from my junior years. I would have liked it to have appeared in the adult series. It doesn’t satisfy, but hopefully there are a few more to come.
“Bad boy” against?
Heliövaara trusts his partner Patten completely. That’s why Finns feel very confident and calm before the season.
– We can really win any tournament we play in. Of course, success is expected. It demands a lot from me and him. However, it’s nice to go there.
An Australian known as the bad boy of tennis Nick Kyrgios returns to his countrymen Thanasi Kokkinakis with to the doubles courts. Kyrgios, the favorite of the home crowd, has not played for a few years.
Heliövaara thinks it would be cool to face them in the opening round.
– Kyrgios would certainly bring a hurlumhei show to the court. It would be nice to be part of that match.