It’s natural for emotions to run high before facing Carlos Alcaraz on the biggest court in tennis. But to the point of not wanting to show up? At the most important moment of his career, nerves and anxiety hit Mark Lajal hard.
“I was feeling awful. I just wanted to leave,” the Estonian player told CLAY in an interview also published by RG Media.
At Wimbledon 2024, the draw determined that the defending champion’s first opponent would be Lajal, who had made it through qualifying. He managed to calm his nerves thanks to the advice of a former doubles champion, who knew Centre Court well.
“I got so nervous I couldn’t speak. Everyone noticed. Juan Sebastián Cabal (Wimbledon champion in 2019 alongside Robert Farah) told me to go sit at Centre Court. My coach and I took bikes to Wimbledon, sat there with no people, and that calmed me down,” he said.
The Spaniard defeated him in straight sets, but Lajal left London with a valuable lesson: “The biggest thing I learned was how to manage emotions.”
Interview with Mark Lajal
– Wimbledon 2024, round one. On the other side of the net, the defending champion. You played Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court. Tell me about that experience, and if you can, analyze what it’s like to play against him.
– Honestly, it’s funny, because I don’t remember much of the match. It’s a big blur. I remember walking onto the court really well, but during the match, there were so many emotions that I barely processed anything. Right after, I was like, “What just happened?” The biggest thing I learned was how to manage emotions. Before the match, I had so many emotions – I was actually ready to leave because I was so nervous. I didn’t want to play, I just wanted to go home.
– It was the most important moment of you career. You were under the spotlight as never before… but you didn’t want to be there!?
– Yeah, before the match. It was really bad. The day before, I was having dinner with my friends, and Juan Sebastián Cabal was there. At one moment, I got so nervous I couldn’t speak. Everyone noticed. Cabal explained things to me because he’s been there – he’s won in that court. He told me to go sit at Centre Court. So at around 7 p.m, my coach and I took bikes to Wimbledon, sat there with no people, and that calmed me down. The next morning, I felt okay, ready, not nervous. But the day before… I was feeling awful. I just wanted to leave.
– Playing him, in terms of physicality, mentality, and tennis — how tough is it?
– It’s tough. Even though it was his first match, he makes you play so many uncomfortable balls. Against some players, a big forehand is a winner. Against him, it’s not. He’s an incredible player, so smart. You need a lot of patience.
– Who’s your biggest tennis idol? Your biggest reference?
– I was thinking about it the other day, and I’d say one of my biggest idols is actually Anett Kontaveit, because what she did coming from such a small country like Estonia, is unreal. She got to the heights of tennis. It was very inspiring. We’ve also had Kaia Kanepi; what she did for years and years on the tour is incredible, she made it to the quarters in all four slams, won so many matches. To see that on the women’s side inspires me to do the same thing on the men’s side.
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– I’ve asked this question to a lot of players in the male tour and not may would appoint a woman as an idol.
– I was actually thinking about that too, because I never really had an idol growing up in tennis. Obviously, I liked Djoko, Rafa, and Federer, but I didn’t idolize them. I don’t know why, I just never did. But the other day, I was just thinking about it and realized Anett really inspired me at one point. It’s not easy coming from a small country and cracking the top. She did it, she got to world number two. She’s definitely a role model.
– Have you been close to your idols Kontaveit and Kanepi?
– My fitness coach right now is the fitness coach Kaia had for her whole career, so I know her a little bit. I wouldn’t say I’m that close to her, but yeah, I definitely know her quite okay.
– Why didn’t the Big Three really captivate you growing up?
– I mean, I was a big fan as most of the people, but I never idolized them, you know? I never really put them as “my idols.” I liked them a lot, obviously, I loved watching them play, but I never had posters on my wall or anything like that. It was always weird for me when people talked about idols because I never had one. I just wanted to do my own thing, basically.
– Do you think you’re inspiring young generations in your country?
– I hope so. I think I am, from what I’ve heard and seen with the little kids. I try to be an inspiration because it’s important for younger generations to have someone to look up to – it motivates them, gives them inspiration. So definitely, I try to be that for them, and I hope I can become an even bigger inspiration in the future.
– You really love car racing; you must have an inspiration in the motorsport world.
– Yeah, more like motocross. My dad used to race – he was one of the best in Estonia, actually the first Estonian to do the Paris-Dakar. My grandpa was one of the best rally drivers in the Soviet Union. There’s a lot of racing in my family, but I chose tennis. I took a different route.
– Did you ever dream of racing the Dakar yourself?
– For sure, for sure. When I was young, I definitely wanted to race. All I thought about was racing; all I ever did was drive. It was a big part of my life. Over the years, it changed, but I still love following it. I talk to my dad about it; it’s still part of my nature to follow racing.
– Any story from that historical race that really stuck with you?
– The biggest one is when he was driving and fell – he broke his leg in half, but he didn’t want to stop. He continued until the end of the day with a broken leg. When he took the boot off, it was completely in half. He said, “I didn’t come all the way here to stop now.” He wanted to ride again the next day, but the doctors didn’t allow it. He was disappointed, but ready to finish the Dakar with a broken leg. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me.
– You have a unique hairstyle!
– Actually, my sister did it on her when I was six or seven years old, and I thought it was cool. My mom said, “Yeah, okay, do it,” and I’ve had it ever since. The palm tree idea came later – I was bored of playing with the hat and wanted a change. I think it was a good choice; people know me for it now.
– People recognize you because of your hairstyle?
– Exactly. When they see the hair, they recognize me. So it’s good.
– What are your long-term goals in tennis? Where do you dream to be?
– Honestly, if we’re talking about dreams, I dream of being in the top ten. But I’m more focused on evolving as a player and as a person, because that’s what really matters. Once I improve as a player, the results will come. For a while, the results weren’t showing, but I kept working, and now it’s starting to come together. I’m excited to see what’s next.
– Would you change any rule in tennis?
– That’s a good question! I think tennis needs some type of change. Other sports always innovate, and tennis should too. Specifically, I’d start by removing the let. They did it in juniors, and it’s interesting. Or maybe, if we’re talking about big changes, one serve only — it would mean more rallies. But that’s a huge change, so I don’t think it’ll happen.
– That would be a blow for the serve bots.
– Exactly. They wouldn’t like it.
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