It all adds up for Bergs: Big goals, crowd support & more
It all adds up for Zizou Bergs, who appreciates every detail of the sport, from competing at the big stages to the small experiences and everything in between. But some things stand out.
ATPTour.com caught up with the Belgian to discuss his favourite rivalry, greatest success, goals, the most unique moment of his career and more.
What is your favourite tennis rivalry?
I mean, it was definitely Nadal-Federer. Let’s see how it is going to be now. Now the biggest rivalry, I think is Alcaraz-Sinner. But maybe these new young guys, they’re gonna bring up the heat as well with Joao [Fonseca] and maybe Learner [Tien]. Let’s see. But they already did, like various spectacular match two days ago or three days ago [here in Miami].
What makes a great rivalry for you?
A great rivalry is something that’s historically going on. So, time over time, they meet again. And it’s with winning and losses from both sides, especially the crowd getting involved. Maybe sometimes Federer-Nadal was very gentleman-like, maybe sometimes a little bit provocative. Could also be fun. But I think definitely when a crowd starts to get involved in it, it could be a very nice one.
Who would you say your greatest rival is?
I don’t have one. I have a different path, a different route. I feel like no one follows my path. Maybe the younger [players], they meet each other already in the early Tennis Europe [events] and after the juniors, and they rise together very fast. But I have a slow-fast-slow-slow-slow-fast run. So that’s why I don’t have anyone.
What’s been the most unique moment in your career?
The French Open. Obviously, it’s also result-wise related. But for me, it’s also very important with the crowds, related [to that]. How much they are with me, how much they support me, how much of a party we can make on the tennis court. And this is happening in Davis Cup and [Belgium].
But everything came a little bit together at the French Open, where I came through the qualies winning my first main draw in a Grand Slam match, and then moving forward to the third round against Dimitrov on Philippe Chatrier and also last round qualies at Suzanne Lenglen against Mathias Bourgue. I think those moments were the most unique in my career so far.
What’s the biggest accomplishment or number or ranking you’ve been pursuing?
The longest and the biggest was Top 100. But then when I reached it, when we sat down and get our new goals, it was obviously Top 50. But then at the end of the year, we got a new one, and that’s Top 20. So now [only] the Top 20 is in my head.
What’s the greatest difficulty you’ve had to overcome? Has there been a tough moment or so?
Most difficult was the physical part of me with the cramp history. But then because my body was always letting me down, at a certain point, my head was also letting me down. And then I think that was the toughest moment in 2019, when I moved out of Belgium to try something new in Spain.
And by doing that, leaving even all my family and friends [back] home, even though that’s super important to me, I really became happy again due to the hard work I put there. [I was] only having tennis, but really working very hard, and that would make me, at the end of the day, the most happy.
What’s your favourite tournament to play and why?
What’s your favourite tournament to play and why?
[It was] Antwerp or the French Open, or Davis Cup. Just where a lot of Belgians are coming and starting to live something together.
What’s been your greatest off-court experience you’ve gotten because of the life of a tennis player?
There is so many nice things when we’re traveling and you have the perks of being a tennis player and the tournament is organising activities, or some people are inviting you to do activities. From having a boat trip to visiting something local to just have a dinner together with the family at their house in a specific country, it is all of those small things. It is just really cool to be able to [do] because you travel around a lot. But often, you only see the hotel and the tennis club, but then to do something out of it, when people are inviting you or organise something, and you sometimes realise what all benefits you have being a tennis player.