The cheap motels and even cheaper cuisine haven’t bothered Zach Svajda that much.
The 19-year-old who grew up smacking balls around Pacific Beach isn’t a high-maintenance kind of kid, so his first full year on the ATP pro tennis tour hasn’t left him wanting for the fancy things.
What has been difficult, as it is for 99 percent of first-year pro players, is the losing. Svajda was previously a top junior who crushed the competition most of the time, and last year at this point he was about to enter the U.S. Open main draw after winning the U.S. National 18s.
While here 12 months ago he scored a big first-round win, then scared Top 10 stalwart Jannik Sinner before dropping a four-set decision.
In 2022, the teenager has played many minor-league (ITF level) pro tournaments, compiling a record of 17-15, and this week at the U.S. Open he reached the second round of the qualifying tournament before losing in three sets to Alexander Ritschard.
For Svajda, now ranked No. 306, the adjustment has been about as tough as expected.
“The grind has been rough, but it’s been great going through the learning process,” Svajda said this week at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “It’s been a slower start (to my pro career) than I hoped for, but I’ve been playing better lately and this week was a great experience for me.”
This week in qualifying was a whole new experience for the baby-faced Svajda; in 2019 and ’21 he was given a wild card into the main draw after winning the Boys Nationals, and got to play in front of big crowds.
This week there were dozens of spectators and a much different outer court atmosphere.
“I told myself it was going to be a lot different, and that I’d have to make myself ready and stay energized without a big crowd,” he said.
That difference was evident in the loss to Ritschard; despite being down a set and a break, Svajda rallied to win the second set with a huge forehand return winner.
But early in the third set, Svajda’s groundstrokes faltered and he lost the final five games and the match to the more-experienced 29-year-old Ritschard.
David Nainkin, Svajda’s coach and a longtime USTA mentor to players like Sloane Stephens and Taylor Fritz, said he’s pleased with Svajda’s progress even as the wins have been harder to come by.
“He’s worked hard and really developing nicely,” Nainkin said. “His forehand has gotten stronger this year, as has his serve.”
“One thing I see is there’s not a huge difference out here between guys like me (ranked 300) and the guys who are 100 or so,” Svajda said. “My level is right there, it just needs to be upped a little and I need to get more pro matches under my belt. But this was a really positive experience here.”
