Tennis
Peter Bodo, ESPN.com Staff Writer 7y

Meet Tennys Sandgren, one of the unlikeliest players to make the main draw in Paris

Tennis

Whoever the draw coughs up as his opponent might find Tennys Sandgren a handful -- if Sandgren can get past security guards at the gate. His first name is pronounced "tennis," but it has nothing to do with the sport.

Officials, skeptical of a prank, have often asked him to show backup ID. The truth is, his name traces back to his Swedish great-grandfather.

One way or another, Sandgren will be part of the French Open for the first time since 2013, when his ranking was a lowly 278. It rained the entire day before his first qualifying match against ATP journeyman Ruben Bemelmans. It also rained all morning the following day, forcing the opponents to have nothing more than a 10-minute warm-up (against each other) before they were obliged to go at it, hammer and tongs.

Sandgren, a 25-year-old Tennessean, fought his guts out only to lose 8-6 in the third set in the qualifying round.

Now Sandgren is going back to Roland Garros this year to play under what will almost certainly be more auspicious conditions. He won the USTA's Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge with his performance in a recent series of clay-court tournaments. This will be his first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.

"It's taking some time to sink in," Sandgren recently told ESPN.com. "It's a wild card, but it means a lot because it was earned. The thought process now is, which would be better? Playing a big name on a big court or something more manageable? That argument ends if the big name is Rafael Nadal. I don't want to play him, period."

Sandgren knows whereof he speaks. He had his best result in the junior event of a Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009. That year, in a practice session, he got a taste of Nadal's stinging forehand.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Sandgren has been a slow learner. His development was further impaired by hip surgery that left him unable to walk for a full month in early 2014. He missed a total of five months but has since transformed himself into a paragon of fitness.

"He may look tired late in a match, but he's not," Jim Madrigal, Sandgren's coach (who also coached Tennessean Brian Baker) told ESPN.com. "He's got better fighting spirit than most top-40 players. He really isn't done until the handshake. But until recently, he was easily distracted and thrown off his game."

Madrigal supervised Sandgren's progress in recent weeks, helping bring his ability to focus in line with his capacity for grinding and fighting for every point. The result was a jump to No. 114 in the rankings. In addition to his new mental focus, Sandgren's serve has improved, and he's making greater use of a forehand that he once neglected largely because of the quality of his two-handed backhand.

Sandgren did the heavy lifting for his wild card in the month ending May 7. Over that span, he qualified for the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships (an ATP 250), where he lost in the first round to fellow countryman Ernest Escobedo. Sandgren also played two Challenger finals. He lost the Sarasota final to No. 87 Frances Tiafoe after knocking off Reilly Opelka and Denis Kudla. Sandgren then won the Savannah Challenger, with a run that included consecutive 7-6 third-set wins against Swiss Davis Cupper Henri Laaksonen and fellow countryman -- and former Roland Garros junior champion -- Tommy Paul.

"I had to play the final after those two matches, and I still won it," Sandgren said. "My legs felt pretty good."

Sandgren is encouraged by the trend that has seen the average age of players breaking into the top 100 rise. That might disturb tennis officials and entrepreneurs who long for repeated infusions of fresh, young blood, but it heartens Sandgren and others who have struggled but kept the faith.

"I'm hesitant to compare myself to Roger Federer in any way, but he's improved while he's in his thirties," he said. "That makes you believe that even though you may have struggled for a few years, there's still hope."

Sandgren is unlikely to be mistaken for Federer, even if you discount the rough-hewn looks, horseshoe mustache and long hair that make him resemble a Nashville country music singer. One point of commonality with Federer: Sandgren has a rival who is shaping up to be his very own Nadal.

Laaksonen is the same age as Sandgren and ranked five ticks higher. They have played five times since last October, with Sandgren now 2-3 after that last crucial win in Savannah.

"We have similar games," Sandgren said. "We're baseline counter-punchers. We've had rallies of 50 or more shots where I'm thinking this guy just isn't going to miss."

What better preparation can a man ask for before playing in his first French Open main draw?

^ Back to Top ^