Missing his brother, a long-time tennis partner who was suddenly suspended from the tour, made Elias Ymer stronger: “I grew a lot as a person during this though time”.
Mikael Ymer failed three doping tests in 2021 and therefore had to pay an 18-month ban from the professional tour from mid-2023. After his sanction was confirmed, the former top 50 player announced his retirement from tennis at the age of 24. In April he changed his mind. “Retirement was boring,” he wrote on his social media. In January, 2025, Mikael Ymer will be able to compete again.
“When something like this happens, you really realise who your close friends are, who are the ones who support you in difficult times. It’s been tough,” the 28-year-old Ymer, currently Sweden’s number one, told CLAY.
“Maybe he felt it was an injustice. So he made decisions with the feelings of the moment,” said the current world number 205 in this interview during the weeks of Wimbledon, less than a semester away from being reunited with his inseparable brother.
Entrevista con Elias Ymer
– What are your goals for the rest of the season after the injury you suffered? Is it just recovering or you’re thinking about rankings, matches?
– I have a new team, I moved to Italy and I’m training there with a new coach and a new fitness coach. I really hope this can pay off, make me play more solid. I feel like it’s a fresh start. I’m in Cattolica, in the Province of Rimini, close to Riccione. Is a very nice country, I have to say, I feel very welcomed. They take care of me like I’m family and this was a big part why I moved. Because I’ve been to many places and in tennis you travel so much, so when you get back you need to feel safe. I had a very good connection with this team already and this is one of the biggest reasons why I’m there. I’m enjoying the food as well, but I’m trying to stay away from the bread.
– How’s your Italian so far?
– Parlo molto bene l’italiano. Five languages in total. Swedish, English, Ethiopian, now Italian and 24% Spanish. Hablo un poco español. I lived in Barcelona when I was 19. Language is very important.
– How is your brother getting through the time of suspension?
– He’s good, he’s coming back in January, so I look forward to seeing him here next year as well.
– How’s he been feeling away from tennis?
– Everything went so quick! Now it’s one year since he got suspended. Now he only has six months ban remaining. So, now he’s like, ‘shit, I have to start practicing’, you know. In the beginning was very difficult. But, adversity makes you stronger.
– He made a very hasty announcement when he said he was retiring from tennis, didn’t he?
– It’s tough for anyone to comment because we don’t know how we would react in this situation. He felt like it was an injustice, maybe. So, he made decisions with the feelings of the moment. But, now we just thank God he’s planning to come back. And let’s hope he stays healthy. He has the game to come back strong.
– I’m asking you now how you have lived this process as a brother. You have always support each other, and suddenly he gets banned from the tour.
– It’s actually interesting you asking this question because I grew a lot as a person during this though time. This was almost bigger than tennis, when something like this happens you really see who are your close friends, who is like supporting you in the difficult times. I’ve felt very lonely. On the tour I was always with my brother, all my life. It was tough. That’s why it helps a lot too that I came to Italy. Because I don’t have anyone to practice with in Sweden now. Because I don’t play with him. So, for me mentally, I grew a lot, I became stronger.
– Any person you discovered that it’s valid to mention that came to you in this tough moment? Any tennis player?
– Of course, God. God first always. I know God doesn’t make mistakes. So, there is always a reason for everything that is happening. And maybe he wanted this to happen to really show us, the Ymer family, if we really want to do this. Because in everything you do, there is going to be setbacks. It’s how you handle your setbacks and if you come back stronger. So, but it’s not the end of the world. Like, there is always worse things. Imagine if he never can come back, or if he gets injured for life now. He has to take this time and regroup, become a stronger person. And I’m always by his side and he’s helping me too. We speak every day on FaceTime. So, we have a good connection.
– So how do you think you will feel next year having him at your side again?
– It’s gonna be so good, very fun. For example, in Wimbledon I was the only Swedish in the men and women draw. Since I’m 9 years old it’s been Elias and Mikael all the time. And now for two years I haven’t seen him constantly. I go to the airport, he stays at home. But there are worse things, this is only tennis. Tennis is going to end one day. We’re going to live the life after it. If something bad happens, then we can speak. But in tennis, it’s only a sport. We have to see it like this. There are bigger things in life.
– Will he join you in your base in Italy?
– I’m going to try to convince him, absolutely. But at the end of the day, you know, when you come to this level, it’s all about your team. If you find the best coach in the world but without chemistry, it doesn’t work. And then maybe you have a coach who nobody thinks is good, but if there is good connection you are going to win. He has to find what best work for him. I had to search a lot before finding my right place.
– How much you feel connected with the country of your parents? Would you dream about doing somthing for Ethiopia in the furute?
– Me and Mikael are the first Ethiopians in history to play tennis. So, this is something incredible. It feels like we are maybe the chosen ones, you know. My parents’ country is always going to be in a special place in my heart. Whatever happens after my career, I’m going to spend more time there. The times I’ve visit it, I feel the support of the people.
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