Leandro Riedi sensationally reaches the round of 16 at the US Open. It is the reward for his perseverance and ability to suffer. He has that in common with his compatriot Jérôme Kym.
31.08.2025, 07:08
31.08.2025, 08:34
SDA
Nobody wants to win like this. And perhaps least of all Leandro Riedi. With his face contorted in pain and tears streaming down his cheeks, Kamil Majchrzak slunk off the pitch. He had to throw in the towel after just 29 minutes on Saturday, with the Swiss Riedi reaching the round of 16 almost without a fight. But it was anything but undeserved.
If anyone can empathize with the mood of the Wimbledon round of 16 finalist from Poland, it's Leandro Riedi. It was almost exactly a year ago that he had to retire in the US Open qualifying match against Jérôme Kym. The devastating diagnosis: knee surgery and an eight-month break. At the time, the 2020 French Open junior finalist (against Dominic Stricker) was on the cusp of the top 100 and is currently ranked number 435 in the world. Still.
"His problems were even bigger"
The 23-year-old from Zurich is now writing a real tennis fairytale in New York. This year, he managed to get through qualifying. After his victory in the first round, he responded to Keystone-SDA's comment that he had never looked so fit with a smile: "While I wasn't able to play tennis, I had a lot of time to work on my physique."
He needed this to make up a 0:2 set deficit in the 2nd round against the number 19 seed Francisco Cerundolo. He was not really fresh in the 3rd round against Majchrzak either. From the very first rally, it was obvious that neither player was in full possession of their strength after their five-set victories two days earlier. "I had my problems, but I realized that his were even bigger," Riedi admitted to SRF. That's why he said to himself: "Now you have to grit your teeth."
It paid off. At 5:3 in favor of the Swiss, Majchrzak had to throw in the towel - with a torn rib muscle, as he later explained on Instagram. "Of course you don't want to win like that," Riedi sympathized. But of course he is happy to be in the second week of a Grand Slam tournament. He is also particularly happy that Jérôme Kym, a fellow sufferer, made the breakthrough at the same tournament.
A toast with Kym
In Wimbledon, Riedi had also qualified for the main draw as the only Swiss player and lost in the first round. "This time I was able to toast with Jérôme," he revealed. The two are staying in the same hotel in Manhattan. Kym from Aargau, who is one year younger, has also been repeatedly set back in his career by serious injuries and has now been rewarded for his perseverance.
When Riedi looks back on the last few months and years, he says: "If you work hard and stay positive, you can come back stronger." This also applies to Kym. Whether it will also apply to Riedi in the round of 16 on Monday seems rather unlikely. For one thing, world number 8 Alex de Minaur is a much bigger opponent, and for another, the six matches so far have taken their toll.
400,000 dollars in prize money
His left leg is sore from all the matches, he admits, which is not ideal. At least he now has two days to recover. Giving up is out of the question for him anyway. "I'll definitely be on the court," he assures. "It's a slam, they'd have to take me to hospital for me to give up." His return to the top 170 in the world rankings and by far the biggest prize money check of his career of 400,000 dollars (before tax) are safe in any case.
It is the US Open of many injuries. No fewer than four of the sixteen third-round matches ended with one of the two players retiring. So perhaps it's fitting that Riedi was "lucky with injuries" for once. Hardly anyone deserved it more than him.
