When Sweden begins the hunt for the quarterfinals in the Davis Cup today, Mikael Ymer is one of the players that national team captain Robin Söderling leans against.
A tournament that Mikael Ymer himself grew up with, and which means a lot to him.
- Dad always took us to the Davis Cup when we were little, it was a big thing for him.
They played a few times in Lidköping and we always sat and watched.
And every time I go out there, I get flashbacks from that, says Mikael Ymer.
And at that time, Robin Söderling was the big star.
- Robin played that time, and I caught his rack too, he threw it out and I caught it, says Mikael Ymer and laughs.
Canada without its stars
Sweden starts the tournament against Canada today, where the third team in the group is Kazakhstan.
The group winner is ready for the quarterfinals.
Mikael Ymer and his older brother Elias play the singles matches while Robert Lindstedt and André Göransson take care of the doubles.
When the favorite Canada misses the stars Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, the chance has increased to Swedish advancement.
- Canada is a tough opponent anyway, I think.
They have a fairly broad squad.
But of course, with all their best players, they may be, if not the favorite, one of the favorites to win the entire Davis Cup.
So on paper it looks better, says Robin Söderling to SVT Sport.