Polish No. 1 Hurkacz Heads to Olympics with Momentum

Polish No. 1 Hurkacz Heads to Olympics with Momentum

3 min read

With a UTR Rating of 15.33 and ATP ranking of No. 12, Hubert Hurkacz has established himself as a mainstay at the top of the sport. By upsetting 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, Hurkacz became a household name.

Arguably, Hurkacz’s win over No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev in the round prior at the All England Club was more impressive. He’d lose in the semifinals to Matteo Berrettini, and is now heading into his Olympics debut in Tokyo with a realistic shot at the podium.

 

 

The 24-year-old Pole has enjoyed a memorable last 18 months. To start 2020, he reached the semifinals of an ATP 250 in Auckland but lost early in his next four tournaments. With the pandemic shutting down the ATP Tour in March, Hurkacz took part in the UTR Pro Match Series in West Palm Beach, Fla., in May to pick up priceless matchplay.

He joined Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul, and Miomir Kecmanovic in the first professional sporting event since COVID-19 shut the globe down in March. Playing a round-robin format consisting of short sets televised on Tennis Channel, Hurkacz would finish in third place with wins over Opelka and Paul.

"I think it's a great opportunity for each one of us to try after the break," Hurkacz told Universal Tennis ahead of the UTR Pro Match Series. "We're not able to travel around the world to play tournaments and this gives us the opportunity to play against each other and also show spectators some live matches."

 

 

When the tour restarted three months later in New York, Hurkacz was back in action and would finish the season just outside the ATP Top 30. He began the 2021 season with a title in Delray Beach, and in March, he would win the Miami Open to become the first Polish player to win an ATP Masters 1000. His three-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas (UTR Rating 16.00) in the Miami quarterfinals was his best win of the season.

At 15.36, Hurkacz’s three-month Trending UTR Rating is even higher than his UTR Rating despite a six-match losing streak between Miami and Wimbledon. His semifinal run in London was by far his best Grand Slam performance, prior to which he had never been beyond the third round.

After some familiarity with finishing in third place thanks to last year's UTR Pro Match Series, Hurkacz will hope to do just as well in Tokyo, or even better.

"It's something special to be able to represent your country in the Olympic Games," Hurkacz said. "Coming into the Olympics, you want to go there to get a medal. So getting a medal a huge achievement and a dream come true."

The Olympics start on Saturday with Novak Djokovic leading the men’s field followed by Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and Pablo Carreno Busta. Hurkacz will be seeded No. 7.

•UTR Ratings as of 4 p.m. EST, July 21, 2021.

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