Berman back in business
AUSTRALIAN pro tennis player Sean Berman is on his way back to the form that got him a berth in the junior final of the 2010 Australian Open.
AUSTRALIAN pro tennis player Sean Berman is on his way back to the form that got him a berth in the junior final of the 2010 Australian Open.
Berman, who has won both the Maccabi Australia and Maccabi Victoria Junior Sportsman of the Year awards, is on the comeback trail after spending more than six months off the court after surgery on an injured shoulder.
Despite the layoff, the rising star believes he is well on the way to recapturing his best form.
“Obviously it hasn’t been easy and it’s been frustrating not to be able to play,” Berman told The AJN.
“But it takes time to get back to good form and I believe I can do it.”
The 19-year-old was recently training daily at the Maccabi Tennis Club in the lead-up to the Australian Pro Tour tournaments.
He made it through to the third round of the Australia F11 Futures tournament in Traralgon, before losing to eventual winner and fourth seed Benjamin Mitchell 7-5, 6-3.
But with illness and upcoming exams interrupting his preparation, Berman followed that defeat with a straight-sets 6-1, 6-4 loss to Harry Bourchier in the first round of the Australia F12 Futures event in Ballarat.
“I was out of action for a while, so I’ve been working hard to fix all my small things in my game,” Berman said.
“The Future events were pretty good, I did really well in one and pretty [bad] in the other … but I’ll keep working on getting better.”
He is now in final preparations for the 2013 Australian Open wildcard playoff in December, which he says will be a big challenge for him.
“It’s a high pressure event because you’re playing guys who are trying to achieve the same success,” Berman said.
“But that’s what I love about it and hopefully I can do well.”
Ashley Shenker
Photo: Peter Haskin
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