Having a night out with friends at 21, flirting with girls, but under no circumstances telling them you’re a professional tennis player.
“If they don’t know I’m a tennis player, I never say it. Otherwise, girls will like me for that, and that’s not exactly what I’m looking for,” Henrique Rocha confessed in this interview with CLAY, also published by RG Media.
The attention from fans, beyond sport itself, is a reality players on tour experience. Rocha explains: “If I were studying at a university, it would be similar. But it’s different, because I get to travel and meet many more people than just the ones back home.”
Rocha, a young Portuguese player ranked No. 163 in the ATP rankings, laughs as he recalls a moment that went viral on TikTok: while competing at the Lima Challenger, he met a Peruvian girl who, after one of his wins, asked him on social media for tickets to his next match. Rocha invited her, and later, in a very flirty way, the fan posted the whole story on her account.
“What’s Bumble?” she wrote, referring to the popular dating app — one she didn’t need to find Rocha.
“I’m single,” the Portuguese replied in the comments section.
Interview with Henrique Rocha
— What is your main goal as a tennis player?
— I have a lot of things to improve. I want to achieve the best of myself that I can be. I don’t have a limit or a goal like any ranking that I would love to be. Of course, I have, but I just like to live day for day. I just want to be the best of myself.
— Talk about your playing style.
— My favorite and my best shot is my forehand. I think it’s where I can do more damage. I also have good fitness, I’m physically fit, which gives me a lot of energy and a lot of good ways to get well in the ball and play as hard as I can. I think I hit the ball hard, harder than the average, I would say. So those two things, I think, are my strongest weapons.
— Does this come from someone you watched when you were a kid?
— My idol is Roger Federer, but I don’t try to be like him. I think we have really different ways to play. I mean, it’s almost impossible to try to play like Roger. He’s unique, and I feel like I play a bit with my physique. I have good physique, which I can use a lot. And then I started as a kid having good forehand and playing hard, so I started doing that more, and now I’m also serving a bit better. I’m happy with my style.
— So, about your tennis style — which tennis star does it resemble the most?
— I would say maybe to Casper Ruud!
— How far do you feel in terms of level to the top guys of your same generation? Don’t you think Alcaraz and Sinner play a totally different sport?
— Of course Alcaraz and Sinner are in a whole different level, in a complete different step. I think the level, from a certain point of a ranking, is similar. This is about consistency. The most consistent guys are the ones who are above, but I feel like the level between 50 and 100 is very similar. It just depends on the consistency throughout the year and if you can perform well in all the surfaces.
— What do you like besides tennis?
— I like to go to the beach. I like to hang out with friends, playing cards. I like to go out sometimes with friends also during the night. That’s my favourite thing. And watching sunsets!
— Portugal is perfect to watch sunsets… and to surf. Do you surf?
— No. It’s something that I would like to learn and I’m still thinking about it. I mean, nowadays I don’t have much time, but when I’m on vacation or something, I already took one or two lessons at home. In Portugal, we have a lot of surf. It’s a very nice place to surf, so I wish I could do it better because I feel like it’s a mental escape, a way to go away from your life and your thoughts. The ocean and the beach… just being there feels so nice.
— There’s a debate about matching outfits in tennis. Two players with the same sponsor face each other… looking exactly the same, same clothes. Has it happened to you?
— It has happened to me, yes. Against Alex Michelsen last year we were using exactly the same kits. For me it doesn’t make a lot of difference. I like to wear what I’m using. I’m very happy to be part of the Adidas family. But, I mean, in the end, it’s just outfits. It doesn’t really matter if we are playing with the same outfits or not. I don’t have to feel that special.
— There is a very funny and cute TikTok video around. Do know what I’m talking about?
— Yes (smile).
— A girl, a fan of yours, saying she doesn’t need a dating app… she can find you somewhere else.
— Yes (laughter). It was in Lima, Peru.
— Tell me the story.
— I was playing quarterfinals in Lima, in a Challenger. And I had these fans watching. And they took a picture, they posted it. And in the end, they sent it to me, they posted the story. I saw it and I replied saying thank you for the support, something like this. And then they asked me, if I had any tickets for the next round, they wanted to come. And I said, yeah, for sure. I’m in Lima. It’s not like I have many people here to give away tickets. So, of course, “I’ll try to get some tickets for you”. And then she posted what she posted: some photos of me playing and everything, how we connected online. So, it went viral.
— Didn’t she invite you to a Pisco Sour after?
— No. I had to leave the day after. We didn’t go for a drink, no.
— Being a young, successful and good looking tennis player like you… that must attract many girls to your DM’s. How is it like?
— I mean, yeah. I feel like if I would be studying a career in a university, it would be similar. I mean, it’s a bit different, of course, because I get to travel and know much more people than just the people at home. But in the end, I’m just a normal guy living my life at full. And I don’t pay much attention to that. Of course, I like when I go out with friends and maybe speak to one girl or another. But I think that’s not the most important thing. And just spending time with my friends and being together, it’s the best feeling.
—And when you’re flirting with a girl during a night out, do you tell her: “I’m a tennis player”?
— No! (laughter). If they don’t know, normally, I never say that. Because I don’t like (to show it off). Otherwise, girls will like me for that and I’m not looking for that precisely.
— Tattoos are getting popular among tennis player. Do you have any?
— No, no tattoos. No, I like to see them in other people, but on me? It wouldn’t be so nice. So I won’t do it. My parents are also no tattoos people, so they wouldn’t allow me (laughter). It’s a choice.
— Portuguese tennis does’t have a rich history. Why?
— The Federation has been doing a better job now. Now we have Nuno (Borges), that’s the second best player of all time. And now me and Jaime (Faria) showing up. We are young. Maybe we’re still going to get to the top hundred. The Federation has supported us and other players much more. I feel like the future can be much more promising than even now.
— Would you try to be the greatest Portuguese player of all time?
—Yes, of course, but it’s not something that I think every day.
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