Roberto Bautista Agut is a man of few words. Unlike the highly animated personality of players such as Nick Kyrgios, the world No.16 chooses to keep his head down and work hard on his game. He may not be the most talked about player, but his approach to the game is starting to elevated him to the top and challenge the likes of compatriots David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal.
This year the 28-year-old has already won two ATP titles in Sofia and Auckland. Then at the French Open he defeated Borna Coric to reach the fourth round of the tournament for the first time in his career. Things are certainly on the up for the Spaniard, who believes he has the ability to become even better on the court.
“I feel happy, I think I am working well and I am competing well. I’m improving, I’m playing a good level and I feel good on the court,” a growingly confident Bautista Agut said.
“I just want to keep doing the same job and keep getting better.”
At the start of the year Bautista Agut enlisted the help of former Villarreal and Valencia FC trainer Jorge Simo. It was an unsurprising move for those who know the Spaniard. During his teenage years he played for Villarreal before switching his full attention to tennis at the age of 14.
The decision to leave football for tennis has proven to be a successful one for the former world No.14. He might be currently experiencing an upsurge in his form, but the honest speaking Bautista Agut will be the first to state that he needs to improve. This was evident during his recent 60-minute defeat to Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals of the Aegon Championships.
“I think he (Raonic) played a great match and I had small chances to try to make the score close to him. I didn’t serve well and he put a lot of pressure on my second serve,” he concluded after his loss.
“He was not missing a ball and returning well.”
Despite his one-sided quarter-final loss, Bautista Agut feels that his transition from the clay to the grass is going smoothly in the build-up to the Wimbledon Championships. The only thing he needs is some extra work on is his ‘time for movement’ according to the Spaniard.
Last year at SW19, Bautista Agut went out in the fourth round to the grass-court king Roger Federer. Looking ahead to his return to the venue, the calm world No.16 is targeting his first grand slam quarter-final.
“Last year I played really well there by reaching the fourth round and I would like to do the same again or better.” He said about his Wimbledon goals.
The Olympic dream
Beyond Wimbledon will be another event close to Bautista Agut’s heart, the Olympic games. At Rio he will be participating in both the singles and doubles events. The doubles will be especially meaningful for him. He gets to play alongside David Ferrer for the first time in his career, a player that Bautista Agut idolises.
“For all the sportsmen, it’s nice to play in the Olympics.” He said.
“It’s going to be special for me because I am going to play the doubles with Ferrer. He is one of my idols. I will enjoy a lot that week and I hope to learn a lot.”
Following this week’s run at The Queen’s Club, Bautista Agut is projected to rise to 14th in the world, equalling his ranking personal best. Once again the Spanish player is closing in on his top-10 dream, but even he has admitted that his on-court aggression need to be intensified in order to make his dream a reality.
“I need to try to play more aggressively and play more inside the court.” He said about the next areas he needs to improve.
“Then the experience will bring me more things and I will become a better player.”
Currently the average age of a top-10 player is 28 (29.5 if youngster Dominic Thiem is taken out of the equation). More players are peaking at a later age and this is certainly the case for Bautista Agut. The reserved 28-year-old has shown promise in recent years, but now he is finally starting to deliver on a consistent basis. A top-10 place awaits the quiet, but highly likeable Spanish player.
