In January, Mikael Ymer made a notable comeback to the tennis court.
This after his doping ban had expired – which also resulted in him putting his career on hold during that time.
One who has shown great support for the 26-year-old is fellow 26-year-old world number six Casper Ruud, who has known the Swede since the age of 12.
I had a kind of empathy for him, in my eyes, being banned for too long. Then it's clear that rules are rules and they should be followed, which is not a problem. But it was an extremely harsh punishment, says the Norwegian.
If it had been six or nine months, it would have stung enough. I don't see the point of it being 18. Anyway, you lose everything with ranking and have to start over from scratch.
"It can happen"
He thinks Ymer did wrong by missing three whereabouts reports in a year. But that it can simultaneously be "easily done" to miss them.
Suddenly you're invited to something, or you're on your way home from a tournament and forget it. So it can happen, but it shouldn't happen that many times.
Being open about his thoughts in the Ymer case, and also the situation around Jannik Sinner's doping ban, is something the Norwegian sees as quite obvious.
I think it's fair that fans, or those who follow me, get honest answers and honest thoughts through the media, he says.
Then I don't go out and feel that I need to have an opinion about everything, but I think it's fair for both those who follow the sport and the media to give answers when asked about things.
"Good atmosphere"
Recently, the Norwegian tennis star was cleared for the Nordic Open in Stockholm this fall. A tournament it was "easy to say yes" to.
Sweden and Stockholm have an incredibly good tennis history and tennis culture. The audience knows what they're going to, and contributes to a good atmosphere, says the 26-year-old, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year.
However, it remains to be seen if he will get to meet his good friend Ymer there. But that the Swede is back on tour gladdens him.
I met him now in Miami for the first time in almost two years, which was very nice. Fun also to have someone you can speak your own language with on the trips and tournaments. Then he's not entirely stable in Norwegian, so I have to translate it all, he laughs.
What: Nordic Open, one of two ATP tournaments held in Sweden.
Where: The Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm.
When: October 11-19.
Reigning champion: Tommy Paul, USA.
Latest Swedish winner: Thomas Johansson, 2004.
