How Tristan Schoolkate gained confidence from memorable clash vs. Sinner

Challenger

Taking a set off Sinner: How Schoolkate gained confidence from memorable clash

Australian is a two-time ATP Challenger Tour champion

Jack Gray/Lexus Ilkley Open Tristan Schoolkate is one of 10 Australians in the Top 150 of the PIF ATP Rankings. By Grant Thompson

Out of Jannik Sinner’s 20 matches this season, only four of his opponents have managed to win at least a set: Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Tommy Paul and Australian Tristan Schoolkate.

While Alcaraz is the only one who went on to beat the Italian, Rune and Paul are established in the Top 10, leaving World No. 131 Schoolkate as the outlier of the group.

The 24-year-old, who competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour, clashed against Sinner in the second round of the Australian Open. It was a memorable moment for Schoolkate, who had his home crowd’s support throughout the four-set battle.

“It was obviously surreal,” Schoolkate told ATPTour.com at the Lexus Ilkley Open, an ATP Challenger Tour 125 event. “You can say ‘pinch-me moments’. As a kid, I watched so many matches on TV — Rod Laver Arena, just in awe. Then as I got older, I watched matches live there and of course you always want to be on that stage.”

Under the bright lights, Schoolkate showed flashes of his best level, rising to the occasion to take the opening set off the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Sinner regrouped and went on to claim the title for the loss of just two sets. Meanwhile, Schoolkate would triumph in his next outing, the Brisbane Challenger, where the Aussie claimed his second title at that level.

“I always knew that the brand of tennis I can play and the level I can bring, it can trouble anyone and that was reiterated against the best player in the world,” Schoolkate said. “It gave me a lot of confidence.”

By going toe to toe with Sinner for nearly three hours, Schoolkate proved he could hold his own against one of the game’s superstars.

“I just wanted to go out there and have a crack and show him something different too. I’ve obviously watched a lot of tennis and he hadn’t watched too much of mine, but I’ve just seen so many guys just getting chopped up by him,” Schoolkate said.

“There’s a reason why he’s ranked number one and I’m ranked 130, 140. He’s able to hold his best level and his quality of tennis for a longer period of time and his highest level is better than mine. Of course there’s aspects of your game that maybe get shown out.”

Credit: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

A native of Perth, Schoolkate began playing tennis at age four alongside his father, Peter, a tennis coach who relocated to the Netherlands last year.

The 24-year-old grew up playing primarily on grass at the Claremont Lawn Tennis Club, located less than three kilometres from the picturesque shores of the Indian Ocean. Now competing amidst the Challenger grass-court swing, Schoolkate’s background on the surface particularly makes him a tricky opponent during this portion of the season.

“He [my dad] taught me most of my technique and we played a lot,” said Schoolkate, who will be competing in Wimbledon qualifying later this month. “A lot of it was to do with coming forward, hitting volleys and using different parts of the courts and trying to have a pretty whole game where I obviously play at the baseline, try to come forward.”

Schoolkate is aiming to make the leap to the ATP Tour, a transition he has seen many of his peers make. Even the sport’s best players, such as Sinner, who won three Challenger titles in 2019, have had to first prove themselves on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“The level is so close and you can see that week in, week out,” Schoolkate said. “When I started playing Challengers, I remember seeing [Tallon] Griekspoor and [Jack] Draper, they went on a tear on the Challenger Tour and sure enough, now they’ve cemented themselves right at the top of the game. That’s just two examples.

“Obviously last year I think the biggest example for me was [Giovanni] Mpetshi Perricard. I saw him a lot and I just felt like he was playing unreal and he kept winning and then a few months later he was 30 in the world.”

As Schoolkate reflects on that match against Sinner in Melbourne, he recalls the powerful moment of looking up at his player’s box and seeing family, coaches and others who have invested in his journey. While he was soaking in the experience, he was also sharing it with his loved ones. That mindset of holding onto his childhood dreams is something Schoolkate always carries with him.

“I try to keep that enjoyment and remember the little kid that enjoyed coming to net and hitting drop shots and watching the best guys in the world play on TV,” Schoolkate said. “And then trying to live those moments out myself.”

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