Ivo set to make waves

14 April 2012

The biggest waves Ivo Heuberger has ever made at Wimbledon were sent from a Cypriot beach in 1999.

While her rivals squelched around the soggy courts at the All England Club, former Swiss star and Wimbledon champion Martina Hingis was photographed kissing and cuddling the then 23-year-old Heuberger in the sun in Cyprus.

After winning the women's title two years previously, Hingis had crashed out in the first round and was seeking solace and romance with Heuberger, while Wimbledon struggled through some of the the worst weather of its history.

Yesterday the towering Swiss player was taking refuge from the rain again - this time in the players' lounge at the All England Club as he prepared for one of the biggest matches of his career against Tim Henman in the second round.

Heuberger, forced to go through the qualifying, has made few waves in tennis since that brief fling with an 18-year-old Hingis who was then one of the biggest names in the game. While his compatriot Roger Federer has stamped his authority on tennis since his Wimbledon triumph last year, Heuberger, 28, has never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam.

In the last year he has spent his days at unglamorous tournaments on the Challenger circuit in the likes of Wrexham and Wolfsburg. He has never made it into the world top 100 in the and is currently in 137th position.

A first-round victory over Brazilian Flavio Saretta has put Heuberger into the second round at the Championships for the first time.

But there is no sign of the Swiss player being overwhelmed by the thought of taking on Henman and Henmania in his first appearance on a show court.

He said: "I've never played on Centre Court or Court One but I will enjoy the atmosphere. That is why we play and what we practise for. We don't practise to play in front of two or three people." Heuberger admits that he would rather have faced another seed other than Henman. He dismissed suggestions that the British No1 might be an easier target after he made hard work of his first-round victory over Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo - a Spanish clay court specialist playing his first game on grass.

The Swiss player said: "That doesn't give me much confidence because he was probably nervous or something. For me it doesn't change how I go into the match. I will try to be as ready as possible and focus on my game.

"I would love to have played an easier draw but that is how it is."

Heuberger believes that the kind of mania that has followed Henman for years would never take place in Switzerland because they have a much calmer mentality and Federer's success has certainly not sparked it off.

He said: "Switzerland is different from other countries. It is not like Germany when there was Becker and all the people went crazy. Swiss people are quieter. That is why they are not so extreme, like here with Tim. Federer is big but the mentality is not as extreme as in England, Italy and other countries. That is why you have so many famous people living in Switzerland because they know that the Swiss people are a bit quiet. It is not like there are paparazzi wherever they go."

Heuberger had to come through three games in the qualifying before taking a five-day break before Monday's start.

Euro 2004 has helped him get through the evenings without getting bored although he was forced to sit through England's 3-0 defeat of Switzerland last Thursday.

He said: "It is a pretty long break between the end of qualifying and the first round - five days - so it is like playing another tournament.

"I practised and watched the football in the evening. Unfortunately I had to watch the England-Swiss game. I will try my best so it is the other way around against Tim.

"I like to play on grass and come forward. My best results have been on a fast court."

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