Alex Michelsen debuted in the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings earlier this month at the tail end of a strong year on the ATP Challenger Tour — a season that also included a run to the Newport final in his second tour-level event.
But what is the 19-year-old like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 97 in Jeddah to discuss his love for gaming, American football and more...
If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
I would choose George Washington. I would choose my friend Shoda. And number three, it’s a tough question… Daniil Medvedev.
Why George Washington?
Because he started America, the greatest country ever. (Laughs.)
And why Medvedev? Do you get on well on Tour?
Just because he kind of plays like me. We're both super long and sit from the baseline, make a lot of balls. I'm obviously not as good as him. But maybe one day. I think we play kind of similar.
[ATP AWARDS]
If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
I feel like I would have been a professional gamer because I was really good at video games growing up. So I would have been a good gamer. I was really good at Fortnite back in the day.
Do you still play on Tour?
Sometimes. My buddy Learner Tien, we play a lot when we're home, and he's even better than me.
Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis.
Wake up at 9 a.m. Eat some pancakes and then play video games for about 10 hours, and then play with my dog for an hour. And then maybe go for a night swim and then go to bed. I like doing nothing sometimes.
If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
A sporting event. Probably American football. I love the Seattle Seahawks. I would love to go watch them play over any music concert ever.
Have you been to games recently? Can you go to games with your schedule?
I haven't been to a football game since I was like 13 years old. I've been pretty busy. (Laughs.)
Who are some of your best friends on Tour?
A lot of American buddies. Learner I train with at home. Abdullah [Shelbayh] is one of my buddies here. I've known him for a while, got to know him over the summer. He's a really good guy.
I don't really have a tonne of friends on Tour just because I'm just starting. But some of the guys the Challengers, like [Denis] Kudla, [Tennys] Sandgren, a couple of those guys.
What is one of the most interesting things you have ever done in your life?
I think going through the old city last night [in Jeddah] was a pretty crazy experience for me. I've never seen anything like it, I've never been anywhere close to this part of the world. I was seeing all the culture and historic buildings and I was like, 'Whoa!' That was a really crazy experience for me. I was kind of sitting there in awe for a couple hours. I’ve never done that, I've never just sat in awe for that long.
Like every year at the Next Gen ATP Finals, the tournament will be trialling a lot of different rules and innovations. What are your thoughts on them? Is there one that you're interested to try out?
I like how there's only 15 seconds in between points when it's just serve and return, two balls or less. I like that, because sometimes I feel like players take too long and I like to kind of play a little quicker. So I think that'll be good for me and good for everyone else too.
What is the biggest thing you learned from competing on the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Tour this year, after a successful season to qualify for Jeddah?
Playing both, everyone's good. Everyone can play in the Challengers and on Tour and it's really tough. You’ve just got to get ready for every match and expect everyone to bring their best.
