Tennis, Challenger in Parma: Lajovic is in the quarterfinals and is looking for a raise

It was not an easy start to 2022 for Dusan Lajovic. The ranking speaks for itself: in January the Serbian was number 33 in the world, now he is 69 after being 78th in the ranking, following the defeat in the second round of Monte Carlo against Grigor Dimitrov. Often, in these cases, the key is in the planning: taking a step back is not easy from a mental point of view, but sometimes it can be the impetus for an ascent. Lajovic’s case is emblematic: it is since 2018, in Le Gosier, that the 32-year-old – 33 on June 30th – did not play a Challenger tournament. Now he is in Parma and the results are coming: thanks to the victories against Passaro and Geerts, the number 2 seed is in the quarter-finals.

The situation

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“How much does it weigh on me to play a Challenger after all this time? Not much, because I have the goal of getting back in the standings, the level is high here and I know many of the players present”, Lajovic’s words at the end of the match against Geerts. The ranking is already improving: the Serbian is virtually number 64 in the world, if he wins the tournament he would approach the top-50. Ranking that would have a different meaning than the current one, if only because it tastes like an ascent after a constant and complicated descent to manage: in the season on clay Lajovic found good results only in Madrid – third round, starting from qualifying -, with the exit in the first round in Belgrade, Estoril, Rome and Paris.

Favorite

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Also considering the hard court tournaments, the Madrid tournament was the only one in which Lajovic made it through the second round. The Dusan seen in recent months is a distant relative of the player admired in 2019, with the final in Montecarlo against Fabio Fognini and the title won in Umag. The next opponent in Parma will be the Slovak Jozef Kovalik, number 221 in the world. And also keep an eye on the scoreboard: with the elimination of Federico Coria – seeded number 1 – and the forfeit of Hugo Dellien, Lajovic is the favorite on paper. Will Parma be the relaunch tournament?