Alex Michelsen: “Playing Challengers has helped me a ton” 

Germany and grass court season is developing into an enjoyable combination for Alex Michelsen. The 20-year-old enjoyed a stellar run to the doubles final with Rajeev Ram at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart on Sunday, then just over a day later won his first doubles match in Halle alongside Karen Khachanov. Swapping partners in the space of just 36 hours isn’t for every player, but Michelsen is enjoying the challenge.

“I seem to be pretty good at doubles in Germany,” laughed the American in an exclusive chat with Tennis Channel DE.

“I just try to keep my energy up and just do my thing out there. I mean, doubles is a team game, but you’ve got to take care of your stuff and hope your partner does the same. And both my partners have been amazing so far.”

But it’s not just the doubles where Michelsen is impressing.

He upset fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo in his opening round match before despatching Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. It seems the peace and quiet of Halle has helped Michelsen find his focus.

“Halle is a small little town, so it's a nice little break from the tour where you're in big cities all the time. I’m super happy to be here. My agent's German, so maybe that helps a little bit,” he explained.

“This is one of my favorite countries in Europe. The food's great. People are super nice. Everything's super organized here, which I really like.”

It’s been an landmark year for the world number 33, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time before winning his first ATP Challenger Tour clay court title in Estoril.

“When Estoril came up, I was training super hard before the tournament and just played four matches in a row, four days in a row. I played super, super well and all the hard work paid off,” he reflected.

"And that was big for me because it was on clay — my biggest title ever on clay. That's really cool for me. Playing Challengers has helped me a ton.”

His experience at Challenger level isn’t the only thing pushing Michelsen forward. The current boom in U.S. men’s tennis is a huge motivation for the NextGen star, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of his countrymen currently in the world’s top ten — Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.

“I feel like we all come from pretty different parts of the country. But the thing we all have in common is that we're all working very, very hard,” he said.

“I see those guys in the top ten and I feel like I could see myself there one day. I'm definitely looking up to them a little bit.”