Swiss Open : great losing memories, a brilliant losing present but no losing future ?!

This WE was held the 10th edition of the Racketlon Swiss Open in Zürich, a tournament dear to my heart as it was hearing per chance of this international event that I discovered Racketlon 8 years ago. It is really a popular event with a spot for everyone, ranging from Category A (Elite international players) to Category E (kids and fat old people who never played competition in any sport).

I immediately loved the game but at my first try (in the C category), I had ended up losing in quarterfinals by a couple of points against an old Hungarian guy. I went back home feeling like I was rubbish in this sport, not knowing that this old guy was +45 World Champion and had destroyed everyone else in the C category.

Coming back the following years, I discovered that there was more than just a tournament and it was a structured sport with a Swiss Tour and an International One, that World Ranking meant (almost) nothing in such a small sport and that I could kick some arses. I learnt about my body far too fragile to keep on running everywhere by losing all the badminton and squash sets, learnt a lot about my ability to learn once again in sports I hardly knew … And all in all learnt a lot about losing, as I have lost every year climbing from C to B, then from B to A, but always missing one of the last steps…

Zürich was where I climbed on an Elite podium for the first time feeling quite sure it would be the only one, but as it happened, that was the beginning of a better period for me culminating in 2 (lost) Elite finals at the Maltese and French Opens (this last one still hurts a bit).

The 2016 edition this WE was once again a great moment for me, as I edged my way to the Elite final by successively :

• Clearly defeating in the round of Last 16, a promising young Austrian who fortunately still has to master squash. I wouldn’t like to play him in a couple of years… (especially since he’s almost half my age)
• Barely surviving to a thriller against Benni « The Machine » Hämpl (Swiss #1 on the International Tour with a Top10 ranking) where after saving 6 match points, Benni served his „gummi-arm“ serve out by a couple of centimeters (NB : for non-players, „gummi-arm“ is a deciding point in tennis based on only one serve when both players are even at the end of the match). I was lucky that the flip of the coin was on my side letting me choose to return as you do NOT want to be the one serving under that kind of pressure.
  Probably the only time in my life where I have lost in my 2 stronger sports (TT & Tennis), but won in the weak ones (Badminton & Squash) ! My hamstrings killed me in the end, and I was very lucky to manage to pull off that one…
• Playing an outstanding game in the semis against Christian Schäfer, the Swiss #1 on the SwissTour who had notably ousted the World N°5 in the first round. Though Christian was in front in our Head-to-Heads so far, that was to be my day as I played a dazzling performance to shorten rallies hoping to win before the hamstring pain kicked back in again. Victory : 21-1, 15-21, 21-9, over before tennis to my great relief !

However, as had already been the case in so many tournaments, my body could not hold so many tough matches, and the final proved to be an excruciating suffering in front of too many people. My opponent Michi Dickert (Austria, n°3) is already a better player than I am when fit, and things were already settled when he beat me in the TT set. But I’d have liked to avoid the injury’s comeback in squash which didn’t make for a show and is now leaving me still limping a few days later. What a miserable final that was (13-21, 11-21, 5-21) !!

What did I learn from this 10th Swiss Open ?

First of all that as of having now played 5 finals (1C, 1B, 3 Elite…) and lost them all, I follow "proudly" in the footsteps of famous french losers (Cédric Pioline lost his 9 first ATP finals before winning one, Julien Benneteau is yet to clinch a title after 10 finals on the Tour…). To be able to win one, I’ll need to be better technically so as to put less strain on my ageing body (meaning to find time to train seriously again…) OR to wait until I qualify for Senior Category (still a few years left and not especially looking forward to it !). Food for thought, but still motivated to improve, just need to find time !

But mostly, I learnt that this 10th anniversary edition may have been the last, as the tournament director Nico has decided to step down after all these years, and hasn’t found anyone to take over (someone was already supposed to last year, but backed out halfway through and Nico had to take over in the last months…). This tournament is one of the best on the Tour and means a lot to the Swiss players who often discovered here in Zürich what the sport really was, and at what level the top guys play. It has been the source of meeting so many people from around the world and so many emotions to me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one…

I know some of my friend readers live in Zürich (or maybe know sport lovers there) who could help out and take over something which already works really well, we need to find a way to keep this event going (and I’d help as much as I can from afar). There’s little money, TV or glory in it… but there’s plenty of healthy action, limits pushing, tons of sweat and sportsmanship, emotion galore and great people meeting up (and aftermatch beers…) to save.

I'd be happy to lose another final in Zürich next year !!!