Tennis: ''Savour all the tournaments and enjoy'', confides former Nîmes Clément Chidekh

''Parfois, les joueurs de tennis ne se rendent pas compte de la chance qu'ils ont de vivre de leur passion.''

Having passed through Hauts-de-Nîmes in 2021, Clément Chidekh is fully revealing himself at the start of 2024, recently winner of his first Challenger, in Glasgow. At 22, the Arlesian by birth wants to live in the present moment.

Between February 6 and 23, 2024, all his meetings ended with a: "Game, set and match Chidekh". A series of thirteen victories, interrupted in the semi-final of the Challenger 50 in Pau by the Swiss Riedl (160th ATP), which allowed Clément Chidekh to win two titles: an M15 in Grenoble then a Challenger (2nd world division) in Glasgow (Scotland). Ranked 320th at the ATP, the TC Marignane licensee takes stock.

Are you surprised by your current success ?

Not surprised, no. I just get a nice feeling that it's happening so hard and so fast. In my head, I was patient, I saw that I was working well and that I was on the right track. For it to be confirmed so quickly at the start of the season after a difficult 2023 is just a good feeling.

May the summer of 2021 in Hauts-de-Nîmes and the Pro A Interclubs seem far away! You were then 755th in the ATP…

The time interval was quite large. In 2022, I left American university (in Seattle) then started the pro circuit, a little burned out by the university year, which was quite good. I started 2023 pretty well before injuring my hip on April 1 in Saint-Dizier, where I won the tournament. I was gone for four months and had a hard time coming back.

If there was one, what was the trigger ?

Already, the indoor surface is where my game expresses itself best. I knew that was where I could most bother top players. If we talk about mental cap, yes, it’s sure that it breaks down some of the barriers on my ability to play at a higher level. In Pau, with the names there were (Barrère, Rinderknech, Halys…), and even if it puts a little pressure in the semi-final, it's still cool to be there; to be the last Frenchman in the running. I thought I would be able to do it and it allowed me to gain confidence in this type of meeting.

''Staying in good mental and physical health''

Does your career-high ranking offer you new perspectives ?

Already, after going down to the lowest, at the beginning of February 2024 (560th), it's nice to reach my highest ranking three weeks later. But I don't focus on the ranking. The goal is to stay mentally and physically healthy. This makes it possible to continue on this path, to achieve other objectives and to limit doubt by keeping a suitable tournament schedule.

What is the program ?

There, I trained for two weeks in Marseille with my coaches Lionel Zimbler (formerly of Benoît Paire) and Martin Vaïsse before three indoor tournaments (Hamburg, Toulouse, Saint-Dizier). You will have to be ready to see the results. Maybe not at the start, but persist and continue to work well. The challenge will also be the ability to adapt my game to outdoor hard surfaces or clay.

Including that of Roland-Garros, in May. Are qualifications in the back of your mind ?

There, I don’t think about it at all. From the moment I start my preparation on earth, maybe I will include it in my programming. But the goal is to stay healthy and listen to yourself well. I want to enjoy all the tournaments and savor. Being a fighter on the court, playing without any regrets and with the right mentality are the three pillars of my season and my state of mind is to apply them every day.

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