Mikael Ymer was banned for 18 months last year for doping offenses due to missed reporting. Then, the 26-year-old said goodbye to the tennis world, but in the spring, he opened the door for a comeback.
Now it seems it will happen, and Mikael Ymer becomes relevant for inclusion in the Swedish Davis Cup team, which will face Australia in the month of January-February.
"Our best player"
He can start competing again on January 17. He is, of course, very relevant. He has been our best player for many years now, it's clearly interesting to see his status now that the comeback is starting, says DC captain Simon Aspelin to TT.
Aspelin has recently been in contact with Ymer.
He's looking forward to starting to compete again, and I know he's interested and wants to play Davis Cup.
Ymer has had training restrictions, but since November 17, they have been eased.
I don't have the details on how he's kept himself in shape during this period, but now I know he's been able to train and has been able to play practice matches lately.
Will he be able to compete before the DC match against Australia?
I know he has plans to compete in the first tournament week – he can at least play one tournament before it's time for the DC match. I know he's planning carefully how and in what way he'll train now before the competition starts. Then there's always a big difference when you're going to compete for real and how your body responds to it.
"Tough draw"
In the first qualifying round of the Davis Cup finals, Australia awaits, ranked as the world's second-strongest tennis nation.
It's a tough draw, but super exciting to meet such a big tennis nation. Very cool to get a home match too. We hope for good crowd support, says Simon Aspelin.
Australia reached the semifinals in this year's finals in Malaga, where they lost to the winner, Italy. Australia currently has three players in the top 30 on the ATP ranking: Alex de Minaur (9), Alexei Popyrin (24), and Jordan Thomson (26).
The match dates are January 31-February 1 or February 1-2. Later in December, Aspelin will select his preliminary squad.
Daniel Kihlström/TT
Henrik Skiöld/TT
Facts: The Davis Cup Draw
TT
Norway–Argentina
Belgium–Chile
Austria–Finland
Japan–Great Britain
Czech Republic–South Korea
Switzerland–Spain
Sweden–Australia
Canada–Hungary
China–USA
Denmark–Serbia
Croatia–Slovakia
France–Brazil
Italy and Bologna will host the finals for the next three years.
If they win against Australia, another qualifying match awaits, which replaces the previous group stage in September. The winner there goes to the DC finals in November.
Born: September 9, 1998, in Skara.
Merits: Reached the final in Wimbledon's junior tournament in 2015. Made his debut in 2015 in Stockholm Open as a 17-year-old and got a spot in the Davis Cup team.
Reached the top 100 in 2019 and then the top 50 in April 2023. He became the first Swede to reach the top 50 since Robin Söderling in May 2012.
Current: Was banned in July 2023 for 18 months for missing three doping tests, but is now on his way to a comeback.
