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In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, World No. 194 Dane Sweeny spoke about emulating Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune's success on the ATP Tour.
Sweeny, 22, made his debut on the main tour at last year's Pune Open, where he reached the second round. The Aussie has taken to India since then; he returned to the country to play at this week's ATP Challenger in Bengaluru, going out to Italy's Stefano Napolitano in the first round.
Following his loss, the 22-year-old sat down for a candid interview with Sportskeeda, where he was asked a variety of questions. One of them was whether he drew inspiration from his fellow Under-23 players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune — all of whom cracked the men's top five in the last two years.
In a level-headed response, Sweeny maintained that he wasn't sure if the trio's exploits spurred him on to level up. However, he did concede that a certain sense of "self-belief" came into him watching his generation at the top rungs of the men's game.
"Yeah, I think, I don't know if it inspires me (Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune taking the ATP Tour by storm). But I definitely think it gives me self-belief that I can do it. Like, if they can do it, why not me? So yeah, I definitely think it makes the dream more of a possibility for sure," Dane Sweeny remarked.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune have all enjoyed Grand Slam success
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune arrived on the scene at the turn of the 2020s. The trio quickly climbed up the ranks after turning pro, beating some top-quality players and winning big titles.
Sinner was the first 2000s-born player to make a dent in the Majors, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2020 French Open. Although the Italian hit a plateau in terms of his game in the following two years, he finally came into his own in 2023 as he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and cracked the men's top five.
These results were only a precursor to his 2024 Australian Open run — which will likely go down as the stuff of legends some years from now. The Italian played out of his skin to down Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev on the way to his maiden Major title in Melbourne last month.
Carlos Alcaraz, on his part, got into the Grand Slam winner's circle two years ago, winning the US Open in thrilling fashion. The Spaniard enjoyed a career-best season in 2023, winning his second Major title at Wimbledon and enjoying multiple stints as World No. 1.
Holger Rune, meanwhile, has not recorded the same level of results as Alcaraz and Sinner. The Dane, however, has fared well against the top players, allowing him to win one of his three ATP Masters 1000 finals, make three Major quarterfinals and reach a career-high ranking of four.
